To Shape Warriors
by A Crownless Queen
Summary: AU. It was an odd feeling to know everything was about to go to pieces… after all, who thought a choice between Igneel and Fairy Tail would set the final chapter into motion?
1. Chapter 1

**To Shape Warriors**  
by xXTheDragonRiderXx  
March 2014-November 2014

* * *

 _8 chapters total_  
 _23,772 words total_

 **Summary:** AU. It was an odd feeling to know everything was about to go to pieces… after all, who thought a choice between Igneel and Fairy Tail would set the final chapter into motion?

 **A/N:** Let me just say that I wrote this back when I was just getting addicted to Fairy Tail, so pretty much everything is relevant up to the Magic Games arc. Also, because I wrote this 18 months ago, I haven't edited it and I do not have the time to do so anyway now, if I want to finish my other stories. Hopefully, my writing style has evolved quite a bit since then. ;)

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 **TO SHAPE WARRIORS**

Chapter One

The loud, powerful sound of beating wings was the first thing Natsu heard once his eyes slipped shut. _Not again_ , he groaned in his head, _not this one again._

It was both a familiar and terrifying sound, but Natsu wasn't sure if he should run or try to stay back to fight it. Normally, he would choose fight any day, but this was different. This was a dragon, the same dragon that had assaulted Natsu and his friends seven years ago, causing them to slip into a magical coma thing—Archnologia.

Suddenly the temperature seemed to become higher and Natsu could almost taste the tension in the air. Natsu frowned slightly as a new scent invaded his nostrils, drowning out the putrid, deathlike stench of the dragon. He wasn't sure why, but for some reason, a great wave of comfort washed over him. That scent was awfully familiar too...

Natsu began to run toward Archnologia and with mild surprise, he noticed that he could feel the grass under his feet. Perhaps he had no shoes on in this dream? Natsu looked over his shoulder and nearly tripped over his feet, which, he had realized, were bare.

Flying above him was a great red dragon. His wingspan was so wide that he seemed to block out the sun, even though the sun reflected off of his scales. Natsu was sure that this dragon was just as large as Noah's Ark, if not bigger. But what really captivated the Dragon Slayer were his eyes. The large brilliant gold orbs that held so many emotions and his character in their mysterious depths—fear and sadness, wisdom and bravely, courage and nobility, childishness and maturity were just a few. At first, Natsu wasn't sure why those eyes were so familiar, but then an almost forgotten memory rushed into his head.

"W, why did you save me?" a little Natsu asked fearfully as he curled into himself. It still smelled like smoke and the ground was so very hard and cold, charred beyond belief by the fierce fire he had witnessed. The fire that had taken in everything and destroyed it, even his parents—but some part of Natsu, so very deep down, was curious about it. And it scared him, why did he want to know more about this fire that had very nearly killed Natsu himself?

But then the golden eyed dragon had saved him, and now he stood in front of him, proud and magnificent.

"Because I can see something in you, little human child, I can see something in you that tells me that you are meant to do great things."

Of course, how could Natsu even forget for a moment? Natsu should have recognized those eyes anywhere at any time without a pause. The dragon that flew above him, he was his foster father, Igneel.

But, Igneel had been missing for over half a decade—not counting the seven year span when he, Lucy, Happy and the rest of Fairy Tail had been in a magically induced coma. So, why would he show up now, just out of the blue? Was it because of Archnologia?

Igneel suddenly let out a loud roar, causing Natsu to want to cover his ears. But he resisted the urge, he only winced slightly then his eyes hardened with determination as Igneel, with one mighty swipe of his wings, surged forward. The gust of wind nearly blew Natsu back, but he only stopped for a moment, letting the wind pass, before he ran after his foster father.

Adrenaline surged through Natsu and his lit his fists on fire as he ran. His feet were pounding beneath him, but he was long used to these kinds of jog/sprint things. His breathing was labored, coming in rasps and pants, but Natsu knew that he shouldn't stop; otherwise he would be unable to start up again. Natsu was already beginning to feel all fired up, and it didn't help that the air tasted like something had charred and destroyed, by fire.

And Natsu hated that stench; sure he had set things on fire a few times, but this one. It had the smell of decaying or fried bodies within it. He never had very good experience with fire when he was young, and it was somewhat of a miracle that Igneel, had, in fact, convinced Natsu to even learn the basics of Fire Dragon Slayer magic.

" _No, mommy!" a childish voice cried as he ran after a salmon colored hair woman. The orange fire was really, really close to her. In fact, it was all around her. Natsu stopped in alarm when he saw that his mommy had tears running down her cheeks and he looked around. Where was daddy?_

 _"Run, Natsu!" his mommy cried, "Please, get out of here! I don't want you to—ARRRRRAAAAAAGGGGGGHHHH!"_

Natsu would always remember that scream, he would never be able to forget it. His mother's scream had haunted his nightmares and on various occasions he remembered waking up to Happy's concerned face. But, for some reason, Lucy seemed to be able to keep the nightmares away. So, he stayed at her house once she was asleep. Sometimes he would just watch her sleep because she looked so, peaceful in her dreams. It soothed him, especially if he had a very vivid nightmare. It had almost become a nightly routine, but he didn't stay past dawn—he knew she would kill him if she ever discovered his rather odd habit.

It wasn't Natsu's fault that she looked so darn cute in her sleep, though!

 _Cute, cute was the word for how she looked when she was asleep, cute and peaceful._

Natsu was pulled out of his thoughts when Igneel roared and flames went sailing over his head. The Fire Dragon Slayer ducked instinctively even though he knew the fire couldn't hurt him and he watched as Achnologia writhed in pain. Igneel turned to Natsu, who stared up at his foster father, somewhat shocked.

Igneel looked down at him with no emotion for a moment, before a tiny smile spread. Natsu stared up at him, disregarding the disappearing into darkness Archnologia. Now that Natsu was finally here, now when he was finally face-to-face with Igneel for the first time in who knows how long, he wasn't sure just what to do. His heart was thumping wildly under his chest, but Natsu felt an urge to scream and laugh and cry all at the same time.

Finally, he decided to settle on impassive. "What hap, happened?" Natsu nearly cursed out loud when he realized that his voice had cracked. What happened to emotionless?

Igneel's smile disappeared and suddenly, he looked very, very tired. Natsu tilted his head and he took a few steps closer to his foster father, and suddenly, he felt somewhat concerned. Igneel raised his wings and fell into a gentle descent toward the ground, and Natsu stopped walking, allowing him to have room to land. Once Igneel was on the ground, Natsu resumed his original course of action. Why did his foster father leave him in the first place?

Natsu walked so that he was just in front of the dragon, he was so close that, if he wanted to, he could just reach out his arm and hand and touch the dragon. But he didn't, even though he wanted to. Igneel watched him with sad eyes.

"This isn't real," was the first thing that Igneel said, but he was seemed so sad about it that Natsu couldn't be angry at him. "This is the in-between world, the world between dreams and reality. This is place where messages are sent, where seers get their prophecies. And, this was the first time that you were able to stay in it consciously."

Natsu frowned slightly, "Oh." he deadpanned. An awkward silence fell between the two of them and Natsu scratched the back of his head. "Uh, why did you leave in the first place?" he finally asked, landing on the first subject that came to his mind. Then he realized that that may have not been the best subject. Or, perhaps it was, Natsu needed to understand why Igneel left him in the first place, no, why all the dragons had disappeared. Natsu knew their disappearances were connected somehow in some way or other.

Igneel snorted up sparks and smoke furled out of his nostrils. Natsu's eyes left his father's face and he watched the smoke curl in minor fascination. Once it dissipated, Natsu looked back toward Igneel. The dragon was watching him with a sad smile.

"I can't tell you here, Natsu. It's too unstable and unreliable; anyone can get here, whether he has good intentions or evil. Anyone can hear us; this is the world between reality and dreams, after all." Igneel looked sorry as Natsu looked down in disappointment. Igneel gently nudged Natsu's head with his own, causing the Dragon Slayer to look up in surprise. Igneel smiled slightly, "How about we meet face-to-face instead?"

Natsu's eyes widened and he held his breath. "You mean it?" he asked timidly, Igneel smiled widely and he nodded.

"Yes, I'm sorry I couldn't tell you sooner though, son. I wanted too, but I just didn't know how."

Natsu shook his head, dismissing the statement as he wrapped his arms around Igneel the best he could. Igneel let out a tiny huff of laughter and lowered his head, in his own version of a hug. "Can I take Happy and Lucy with me as well? Gray and Erza too, I suppose... maybe even Gajeel and Wendy, but are their dragons with you as well?" Natsu babbled happily, too excited to even comprehend what he was really saying. Igneel pulled away with a curious look in his eyes.

"Who are these, Lucy and Happy and Gray and Erza and Gajeel and Wendy?" he asked, tilting his head. "Are they your friends?"

Natsu nodded in excitement, "Yeah. Happy is an Exceed that me and my friend, Lisanna, raised. Lucy is, well, I'm not sure what exactly she is, other than my best friend." He ran his hand through his hair and a tiny smile went on his face as he thought of the pretty blond, "I always feel weird around her." Igneel raised an eyebrow at Natsu's expression so Natsu hurried on. "Erza is my friend as well, although Popsicle Stick is my rival, while Gajeel and Wendy are also Dragon Slayers, metal and wind."

Igneel watched him for a moment then he smiled slightly and nudged Natsu. Natsu laughed happily when he stumbled but for once, he didn't fall. "I'm glad you've made friends."

Natsu was about to reply when something in the air seemed to shift. He and Igneel looked around at the same time, Natsu frowning because he recognized that scent of death anywhere. He had smelled it so many times. The wind in the peaceful clearing picked up and the temperature seemed to drop. Natsu slid back, sinking into a defensive stance and he lit his hands on fire as his eyes darted from one place to the other.

"What is that awful stench?" Igneel rumbled above him, obviously a little unsettled himself. Natsu opened his mouth and grimaced when he tasted the air, it tasted a lot like death. Too much, Natsu gritted his teeth—he knew the person, and the person would pay for what he had done to his friends.

"Zeref," he growled under his breath. He took off with Igneel calling out to him. "WHERE ARE YOU, ZEREF!?" Natsu roared, he heard a low chuckle and he spun around. Suddenly, the shadows started moving, even Natsu's own, and they connected together to form into the basic shape of a human. Natsu gulped.

"You really thought I was that weak death mage? I am your worst nightmare, Natsu Dragneel." The thing chuckled at Natsu, who began to back up. "Too late, too late, little Dragon Slayer, you've stepped into the game." The mysterious shape cooed happily, Natsu's feet suddenly stopped working, as if he had been glued into place.

 _Why do I feel so, scared?_

Suddenly Natsu heard a loud roar and he looked over his shoulder. "Get out of here, Natsu!" Igneel roared at Natsu. Natsu swallowed hard and he narrowed his eyes at the invisible restraints. Suddenly, his body began to smoke as he tried to light himself on fire. "That man, his name is..."

Natsu didn't hear what Igneel said after that. All he heard was a loud bang, the stench of fire invading his nostrils, and then something soft and cuddly leaning against his stomach as he stared into the dark refines of his room, along with the sound of his heart pounding in his chest.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

Natsu pushed himself off the bed slowly, careful not to disturb Happy. The Exceed was snoring softly as he peacefully kept on sleeping, something that had become rare since the Magic Games. Future Lucy's dying face flashed through Natsu's head and he winced as he remembered how his heart seemed to stop beating the moment she had, died. Another one of nightmares, losing his Lucy the same way, so, time travel for her was completely crossed out.

Happy shifted and mumbled something that sounded suspiciously like 'fish' under his breath. Natsu smiled somewhat and swung his legs over the other side of the bed, slipping instinctively into his shoes. He looked over his shoulder at the flying cat and his smile widened. Then he crossed over to his dresser and pulled out a normal shirt.

Natsu didn't wear it very often, he much preferred his one armed jacket thing, but he had to admit that it was comfortable. So he kept it around and wore it whenever he went on his nightly expeditions to Lucy's house.

Natsu yawned and stretched before walking over to the window and hopping out of it to the ground. He landed softly and, with a wide smile, he began his rather short walk to Lucy's.

* * *

Lucy startled awake, her heart pounding under her chest as she looked around her room wildly. When she realized that there were no red dragons attacking her, she took a deep breath and closed her eyes, forcing herself to slow her heart rate.

"Luce?" a familiar voice questioned and Lucy looked up. She met her nakama's dark concerned onyx eyes and she tried to smile for him, but Lucy was sure it was more of a grimace. Natsu frowned at her and pulled himself out of the window and onto her bed, crossing his legs as he peered into her face. Lucy couldn't be bothered to scold him for coming into her home through her window. Besides, she was rather grateful for his company at the moment, even if she found it strange that Natsu was here during the middle of the night.

Then she realized what she just thought.

"KYA!" she screeched, causing Natsu to fall backwards onto the floor as she yanked her covers up instinctively. Lucy glared at her friend, taking several deep breaths to calm her heart rate down. "What are you doing here?" she finally asked in a calm, deadly tone. Or at least, she hoped that was what it sounded like. She took the widening of Natsu's eyes as proof that she had done it properly and she resisted the urge to smirk at her dragon slayer friend. Right now, she was supposed to be angry that he broke into her house, yet again.

"Jeez, Luce, you're such a weirdo." Natsu muttered as he rubbed the back of his head. Lucy took several deep breaths and dropped down next to him, crossing her legs so that she could place her elbow on her knee and rest her head in her hand. Then she would intimidate Natsu with her Lucy Stare that she had been perfecting.

"EEK! Why do you suddenly look like Edo-Lucy!?" he exclaimed, backing away from her. Lucy looked at him one last time, before she sighed and softened her glare. He was obviously here for a reason, because she was pretty sure he wouldn't break-in her house at forsaken hours in the morning without a reason...

"What do you want?" she repeated her earlier question more gently as she let her hand fall. Natsu looked relieved. "Did you have another nightmare?" she eyed him in concern. Lucy's alarm grew when Natsu blushed slightly and rub the back of his neck. So, he did have a nightmare...

"Sort of," he admitted with a sigh as his hand dropped into his lap. Lucy tilted her head as she unconsciously leaned forward with anticipation, how could someone 'sort of' have a nightmare anyways? "I," Natsu paused, suddenly looking uncharacteristically unsure. His eyes hardened, "I think Igneel was trying to speak to me." he blurted out. Lucy's eyes widened in shock as Natsu shifted uncomfortably, looking away from her.

"Ready to call me insane?" he mumbled, almost to himself, but Lucy knew he wanted her to hear those words as well. She sighed softly and shook her head, gently tapping his shoulder to get his attention. Natsu looked up with wide eyes and she bit her lip as her neck suddenly felt warm. He looked so adorable with those eyes... wait, WHAT!? What was she thinking?!

Lucy shook the thoughts out of her head and focused on Natsu's face. "No," she smiled at him, "You're not insane." Lucy's smile widened and a tiny, subdued, one made its way onto Natsu's face. "I believe you, if you say Igneel's trying to speak to you, then he is."

Natsu's eyes were wide with surprise, then he surprised both of them when he surged forward and engulfed Lucy in a hug. "Thanks, Luce." he breathed into her ear.

Lucy's heart was thudding underneath her chest so hard that she was frankly surprised that he hadn't mentioned it. Her hands were on his chest while his arms were around her waist and his nose was buried against her neck. Lucy's face suddenly felt warm as she realized their position, but nonetheless a gentle smile etched its way onto her face as she wrapped her arms around neck, noticing in mild surprise that he was actually wearing a normal shirt. A normal, collared shirt. But she had to admit, he looked good in it...

"I, it's no problem." she stuttered in response and she heard a deep chuckle in her ear. Her face felt warmer and she briefly wondered if Natsu realized just what kind of position they were in... probably not though.

He pulled away and flashed his canines at her. She couldn't resist smiling back at him, well, how could she ever in the first place? He was smiling at her like that. Natsu's smile then turned smaller, more subdued, more, dare she say it? subdued. Lucy kind of liked his more mature smile, it always seemed a little more genuine to her, although the other smile was genuine, of course. This just seemed to be more, Natsu, she supposed. The deepest part of him, and he was showing it only to her of all people...

Whoa there girl, she thought to herself. You're going crazy now. I really need to get back to sleep soon...

"Seriously though, thanks for believing me, Lucy."

And there was the mature side of him again, she could get used to it quite easily...

"No problem," she waved his thanks off as she felt herself blush even more. Lucy wondered why Natsu hadn't mentioned it, but she figured that he couldn't see her in the dim light, something she thanked the stars for. Lucy looked at him and let out a sigh, "Do you want to tell me more?"

Natsu looked at her thoughtfully for a moment before nodding. Then he went on to explain everything that happened in the vision, finishing up with the voice telling him about some kind of game. Lucy listened to his voice with half closed eyes, nodding here and there when he would pause to take a gulp of air. She opened her eyes all the way, frowning, and played with the edges of her comforter once he finished his monologue.

"I wonder who the shadow guy is..." she mused to herself as she leaned against her bed. She bit back a yawn and pulled her legs up to her chest. Natsu snorted lightly, as if he was resisting the urge to laugh or chuckle. She smiled sheepishly, "Do you think its Zeref?" she mused to herself.

Natsu shrugged slightly, "After the whole fiasco with E.N.D. and Tartaros, I'd prefer to think it's not him..." He moved around so that he was sitting next to her with his back against the bed. Lucy felt her face flush slightly when she had to resist the urge to scoot closer to him. Stop thinking about him like that! He's your nakama, that's it.

"Well, he's still out th-ere..." her sentence was punctured by a yawn and Natsu looked at her in surprise for a moment then his eyes widened in realization and he looked incredibly guilty.

"Sorry!" he yelped and Lucy looked at him in confusion. "You're tired, and I'm keeping you awake, so I should—"

Lucy smiled slightly and put her finger over his mouth, efficiently cutting him off. He stared at her with wide eyes. "It's alright, I'm kind of glad you came anyways. I was having a nightmare."

Natsu smiled slightly as he stood up, bringing the comforter with him and placing it on her bed. She watched in confusion as he knelt down next to her then she let out a tiny yelp when one moment she was sitting against her bed, the next she was in his arms. She blushed a thousand shades of red when he gently put her down on the bed and began to pull the covers up. Her blush subsided as she looked at him.

Should I...? Eh, it's only for one night and it's no use sending him back home this late anyways. Might as well try to get some sleep...

He pulled up the covers and she shifted to one side and held the other side of the covers up, throwing caution to the winds. Natsu looked at her in confusion and she rolled her eyes. "Come on," she mumbled as her face suddenly felt very, very warm. "It's too late for you to go back to your house anyways..."

Natsu grinned widely and he took off his shoes and jumped underneath the covers, joining her. The blush subsided at the childish smile he wore and she felt her own smile make its way on her face as she snuggled deeper into her sheets, suddenly feeling warm all over, but a good kind of warm.

Silence between the two of them, then, "You're the best, Luce."

Lucy drifted into dreamland with a wide smile on her face.

* * *

Lucy stood in front of the guild with an odd sense of foreboding deep within her heart. Natsu was standing right next to her, so close that their shoulders were only centimeters apart. Happy was flying above the two of them, strangely quiet, as if he had sensed the unfriendly atmosphere surrounding the guild.

"Are you sure this is a good idea?" she whispered to her friend. Natsu looked at her in concern and she shifted nervously as a blush rose on her face as she remembered their positions when they woke up... and how she actually, maybe, sort of, definitely liked it.

Suddenly Natsu's hand went onto her forehead and Lucy knew her face was exploding into a thousand different shades of red. "You don't have a fever..." Natsu muttered almost to himself as he pulled away, looking at her in concern. "Wait, are you blushing!?"

Lucy wanted to sink into a hole at that moment. "You liiiiiiiike each other." the annoying cat finally spoke up. Lucy took the opportunity to turn away from Natsu and to yell,

"Shut up, you stupid cat!" while waving her fist.

Happy began flying around with crocodile tears in his eyes, "Wahh! Save me Natsu! She's gonna eat me!"

Natsu looked somewhat amused by their theoretic, "I don't know Happy, I'm half tempted to turn you into a hat myself..."

Happy stopped flying abruptly to stare at Natsu and even Lucy cocked her head to once side as she reached out toward the cat. Natsu's eyes widened and a tiny blush formed on his face as he coughed. "Never mind, let's just get in there." There was an embarrassed undertone to Natsu's words and Lucy nodded in agreement as she squared her shoulders, as if she was about to enter a warzone. Natsu shook his head and marched up to the doors, flashing what should have been a comforting grin, but the nervousness in his eyes destroyed the image. He pushed the doors open.

Lucy felt several eyes on the three of them and she followed in Natsu's wake. Then Levy came barreling forward, nearly running into Natsu although he stepped out of the way at the last second. She halted right in front of the two of them, "Lu-chan, Natsu, Gajeel and Wendy had dreams of Metalicana and Grandineey!"

Lucy blinked, "What!?"

Levy turned to Natsu, the exclamation had come from him, and she nodded slowly. "You had one of Igneel too? Well, they're upstairs with the master—KYAH!"

Poor Levy was nearly pushed out of the way when Natsu grabbed Lucy's hand and started running to the stairs, nearly dragging his Nakama along with him. Everyone stared at the trail of dust they left in their wake before going back to whatever they did normally at eight in the morning. Levy turned to the only remaining member of their team.

"Did something happen between the two of them?" she wondered out loud with a hopeful tone. Happy grinned mischievously as he thought of a way to take revenge for Natsu's comment about turning him into a hat,

"Aye! They kissed!"

The cheers could be heard all the way over to Sabertooth.

* * *

Natsu stared at his two fellow dragon slayers, Erza, Mira, Gildarts, and the master.

"Let me guess," Makarov sighed as Natsu wondered why Gildarts was there, "You had a vision about Igneel too?"

Natsu nodded in confirmation as he stepped away from Lucy and closer to Wendy and Gajeel. "Yeah," he said. Wendy looked up at him with big eyes.

"Really, Natsu-san?" she asked in her tiny voice. "Do you think they're trying to talk to us?"

Natsu was about to say yes, but Gajeel beat him to it. "Of course they are, kiddo." he began to ruffle Wendy's hair, "If Salamander got a dream from his old man too, then there's no denying it." Wendy smiled widely at him and she nodded despite the fact that he kept on rubbing her head.

Makarov nodded in approval, "Which means that all three of you should go out immediately." Gildarts looked thoughtful as Makarov finished his sentence.

"How about three groups of three?" everyone turned to look at Natsu with wide eyes, somewhat shocked by his serious tone, and the fact that he wasn't blowing anything up, yet. "Me, Happy and Lucy can be one group."

Mira was nodding slowly as she turned to Gajeel, "Yeah. How about you take Pantherlily and Levy?" she suggested although there was a cunning gleam in her eyes that told everyone that he really had no choice but to take the two of them. Gajeel nodded and Mira turned to Wendy who looked somewhat alarmed. Well, anyone would like alarmed when Mirajane was in 'Matchmaker Mode'. "And you, Wendy, should take Charle and Ro—"

"I'll go with her," Erza cut in smoothly and Mira glared at her. Erza either ignored it or was blissfully unaware of it. "It's safer for all of us if someone with S-class level magic goes anyway."

Mira was about to make a retort when a giant fist smashed through the door, nearly impaling Lucy but she dodged out of the way just in time. She let out a tiny squeak, what had they done now? Or was he just trying to get their attention? But did Makarov really have to destroy the door...? A sweatdrop formed on the back of her head.

"We are wasting time bickering around. Get going!" Makarov's order was in a low, rumbling tone as he met all of them eye for eye.

Natsu was the first one to break out of his shock and he grabbed Lucy's hand yet again and began to drag her out of the office with her screaming something about how she didn't need to be kidnapped. Happy joined the two of them and the trio made their way out of the guild, followed by the others except for Gildarts. Makarov and he watched as Gajeel dragged the kicking and screaming Levy out the door.

Gildarts finally turned to Makarov and raised an eyebrow, "You did that on purpose, didn't you?"

Makarov looked at him with a raised eyebrow as he asked in an innocent tone, "Did what on purpose?" The mischievous gleam in his eyes put any doubts away that he lied. Gildarts chuckled and ran a hand through his hair.

"I wonder if Natsu will finally stop being an obvious idiot..."

Makarov snickered with Gildarts as the rest of the guild started throwing a party about how Natsu and Lucy had finally gotten together.

"WHAT!? THEY ALREADY GOT TOGETHER!? WHEN CAN I PLAN THE WEDDING!?"

Just a normal day in Fairy Tail...

* * *

 **Author's Note:** I'm going to get better at updating this now. I swear it. I have it all ready to be posted on here, so I'm going to be going for once a week on Thursday.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three

Lucy let out a soft sigh and stretched her arms out over her head. Six days, they had been travelling nonstop for six days. They had barely stopped to rest, and Natsu wasn't letting his stomach lead him, for once! Happy was riding on her head, why, she had no idea. He said it was comfy, although she didn't believe him. How comfortable could her head be anyways?

"Is that Yukino?" Natsu suddenly spoke up for the first time that day as he pointed at a figure in the distance. A big drop of sweat rolled down Lucy's head as she wondered if Natsu knew pointing was rude.

"Aye!" chirped Happy as his tail hung down Lucy's back. "Lu-shee, are you—WAH!" the cat let out a scream and clung to Lucy's head as she took off toward her fellow Celestial Spirit mage. Natsu blinked several times as he watched his friends run toward the younger woman.

Natsu ran a hand through his hair getting over his shock as he let out a wide grin, "She didn't even scold me for pointing."

Yukino looked over her shoulder and grinned widely as she locked gazes with Lucy, "LUCY!" She called out, waving frantically as Lucy stumbled to a halt right in front of her. Yukino's grin, if possible, widened as she tackled Lucy in a bear hug. The two of them beginning to squeal over something as the two of them wiped out keys. A flash of light later, Plue was resting in Yukino's arms as she cooed over him and Lucy was tickling a ball of light.

Happy flew over to Natsu with stars in his eyes.

"Aren't you such a cute little doggy, Plue? Aren't you?" Yukino cooed as she ticked the dog. "I bet you want a lollipop!"

Lucy was regarding the bulb of light with an interested gleam in her eyes, "Is this Sirius?" she asked her friend. Yukino nodded with a grin. Lucy grinned back at her and went back to stroking the light, beginning to coo just like Yukino was.

Happy flopped on Natsu's head as crocodile tears fell out of his eyes. "Lu-shee doesn't like me!" he wailed as Natsu smiled somewhat as he watched his female partner. He reached up and patted Happy on the head.

"Looks like Lucy found someone who's as weird as she is."

"DON'T CALL ME WEIRD!" Two angry feminine voices shouted. Natsu winced as a sweatdrop rolled down the back of his head, he knew he could handle Lucy and her 'Lucy Kicks', but he wasn't sure if he could take two 'Lucy kicks' at the same time...

A few hours later, Lucy, Yukino, Happy, Plue and (a still alive) Natsu were sitting in a diner, Natsu munching happily on several different kinds of food, a few were even lit on fire. Yukino and Lucy were talking cheerfully about Celestial magic, when Yukino looked at the two of them thoughtfully.

"So, are you two here because of the rumors of Celestial energy?" she asked, her tone was casual but it was belied by the way she was leaning forward, looking at the two of them seriously. Lucy and Natsu looked at each other, then at her and they shook their heads in perfect harmony.

"No," Natsu denied, still shaking his head slightly, "We're looking for my dad, Igneel. This town was just a coincidence." Lucy frowned slightly, _or was it really just a coincidence?_

Yukino rubbed her nose slightly, "I hope you find your dad soon." She shifted as Lucy leaned forward, almost on instinct, feeling Natsu copy her motion. Lucy would have blushed under any other circumstances, they were brushing against each other, but now she was curious as to what was going on. Yukino looked over Lucy's shoulder, her eyes darting around from one courner of the café to the other.

Once she was satisfied with her quick scan, she locked her firm and hard eyes with Lucy. Lucy tilted her head to the side; Yukino actually looked more serious then she had during the Magic Games. "Three months ago, according to the locals, a strange person started showing up on the last day of the week, every week. Of course, no one thought anything of it at first, but as time went on and, certain events occurred, people began to grow suspicious. From what we can tell, his physical description is a man who has black hair and he wears a black toga wrap, people have told me he has strong magic; almost too strong, you know?"

Lucy glanced at Natsu, who was slowly nodding, as if he knew who she was thinking of. She quickly looked back at Yukino, who had finished taking a sip of water and was talking again.

"So, you're probably wondering about the rumours. Well, I heard them about two weeks ago when I was traveling around with Sting-san, but of course, we couldn't stop then, but he said I could come back once the mission was over. So I did, I got here two days ago. The first thing I felt was the energy around this place, and when Libra came out, she told me it was Celestial magic at work. But she couldn't say what kind."

Lucy frowned as Yukino's story came to an end and she looked over the bustling city. Something deep inside of her, it was calling out to the story. As if the mage was directly involved with her, no, that wasn't right, it felt like the mage had something to do with her magic.

"Do you want to check it out, Luce?" Natsu asked, turning his head slightly so he could look her in the eye. Lucy beamed; he must have been reading her thoughts or something. Or maybe he just knew her.

"Yeah, might as well, since we're here." She jumped up, still smiling, placed some jewels on the counter, then grabbed Natsu's hand and took off. Yukino sweatdropped and turned to Happy, who was watching them with stars shining in his eyes and a devious smile playing at his lips.

"Are you sure they're not together?"

Happy sighed, suddenly looking, well, not very happy. "Aye," he mumbled, "They're both dense idiots."

Yukino giggled slightly and squashed Plue closer to her chest as Happy extended his wings and started flying above her. She took off after her temporary teammates.

* * *

A few hours later saw Lucy, Natsu, Yukino and Happy standing on the edge of a graveyard. Lucy was shivering as she rubbed her bare arms, trying to get some warmth in them; Happy was resting on Natsu's shoulder, his ears flattened to his head. Even Natsu looked somewhat nervous, well, he knew Celestial magic was not something he could just punch in the face, unfortunately. He had learned that much from spending time with Lucy, her spirits were powerful, probably more powerful then all of them realized, which made Lucy herself powerful, even though she didn't believe it. Yukino was playing with her three keys.

Lucy suddenly whipped out Loke's key, her eyes fixating on a point in the graveyard as she took a few steps into the gloomy place. Natsu and Yukino exchanged glances, then they followed her quickly, Natsu lighting a fist on fire so they could see.

"Gate of the lion, I open thee! Leo!" Lucy chanted in a low tone. A soft light flashed and Loke appeared next to her, his glasses flashing as he pushed them up.

"I see we're dealing with bad Celestial magic, Hime." He stated bluntly, looking uneasy and Lucy nodded slowly. Loke's gaze rested on Yukino and he smiled briefly, "Hello, Yukino."

Yukino looked slightly surprised he knew her name, but she smiled back at him anyways as she shifted nervously from foot to foot. "Hello, Leo," she greeted simply and Loke grew serious, turning to look back at Lucy.

"Lucy, do you know what happens when a Celestial Mage's heart turns evil?" he asked. Lucy frowned slightly, not in anger, but in thought.

"Doesn't it poison the person's magic and the spirit world?" she wondered out loud and Loke nodded, cringing slightly as if he had had bad memories drudged up.

"Yeah, that happens." Lucy's eyes widened as she took in her spirit's expression and she bit her lip. Loke let out a soft sigh and smiled at her.

Lucy was about to reply when a bright light from behind her flared up. She spun around, trying to find the source, and she saw a man with black hair and...

Wait. Zeref was the person using Celestial magic!? She thought he couldn't even _use_ it in the first place, so... _what!?_ Natsu extinguished the fire, letting the darkness soak in from all around. Lucy shivered, even the faint light emitting from Loke didn't bring much comfort to her. She unconsciously touched her keys.

"Spooky..." Happy finally broke the thick silence, although he sounded nervous. Lucy smiled slightly and held her arm out. Happy brightened up and left Natsu's shoulder so he could barrow into her chest. Lucy wrapped her arms around him tightly. The tiny gesture brought some warmth back to her, and she suddenly wasn't as scared anymore. So, she took a few steps forward, squaring her shoulders as her eyes hardened in determination.

"What are you doing here?" she spoke up calmly, although her eyes were flashing as Loke, Yukino and Natsu stepped up behind her. Yukino joined her at her side, whispering a quick chant to summon Libra and Pisces. Lucy smiled slightly, so she could summon two spirits at once, now? Happy wriggled out of Lucy's grasp and landed on Natsu's shoulder, he and Loke had joined the two Celestial Spirit Mages, Natsu by Lucy's side and Loke was standing next to Yukino.

The man spun around, his eyes widening, presumably with surprise for a moment before he saw Loke and a smirk formed instead. His eyes narrowed in on Lucy.

"I see, so you have come, Ultimate Celestial Summoner." the man didn't even answer Lucy's question. Loke and Yukino's eyes widened while Lucy and Natsu tilted their heads in confusion.

"You can't be serious!" Yukino shouted as she clenched her fist. "You can't be an Ultimate Celestial Summoner unless you have..." she trailed off as she realized something and something flashed through her eyes, fear. Lucy looked at her friend and fellow mage, tilting her head slightly as she raised an eyebrow.

"Oh."

The Zeref-Lookalike chuckled lowly and he nodded, "Yes. Your friend would do it, after all, she knows."

Lucy turned to Yukino, confused and slightly hurt when her friend stared back at her with an emotion that could be only be described as distrust. "What is he talking about, Yukino?" Lucy asked as she widened her stance slightly.

Yukino looked up, meeting her eyes and took a deep breath, "You can only be an Ultimate Celestial Spirit Summoner if you have all twelve keys of the Zodiac, and only if you can handle having all of them."

Lucy's eyes widened with shock as she began shaking her head. "Yukino, you know I won't take your keys by force. Of course I wouldn't!"

Yukino smiled sadly, "You may not have a choice, Lucy."

Lucy's eyes widened and she opened her mouth to spit out a furious retort when Natsu suddenly grabbed her and pulled her back. Lucy screamed as a flash of silver light flew just where she had stood and she met Yukino's gaze. Her ally nodded slowly and she held out two keys. Lucy smiled briefly and whipped out Taurus's key.

"Gate of the twin fish, I open thee! Pisces!"

"Gate of the Golden Bull, I open thee! Taurus!"

"Gate of the lama, I open thee! Libra!"

Three flashed of light later and Taurus's usual greeting and the three mages, plus four Celestial Spirits stood in front of the man. Lucy tilted her head; Zeref-Lookalike didn't even look remotely concerned, if anything, he only looked amused.

"Your spirits have no power unless they are combined." He sounded as if he was scolding a child who didn't understand what he had done wrong. Lucy and Yukino both smirked at the same time while Natsu lit his fist on fire. He had no idea what his nakama and friend were planning, but knowing Lucy's devious mind, it probably wasn't anything good for the man.

"Who said they weren't?" Lucy's eyes were dancing slightly, "Now, Loke, Taurus!" she ordered in a serious tone, at the same time as Yukino. The four spirits charged forward as Lucy pulled out her whip and flicked it a few times.

"MOO! I WILL PROTECT LUUUUUCY'S PERFECT BODY! MOOOOOOOOO!"

"You shall not harm our mistresses." Libra's voice was calm and quiet, as opposed to Taurus's loud and bold statement. Lucy sweatdropped when Loke and Pisces nodded in agreement.

"I will protect the Hime with my life. _Oh, regulus, grant me thy strength. Lion's brilliance!"_

Even Natsu was speaking up, "No one hurts Lucy's feelings and gets away with it. Nor do they unjustly accuse her of things she will ever do in a thousand years. _Roar of the Fire Dragon!"_

Lucy felt rather touched by her friend's statements as she charged forward with Yukino and her whip went flying out. It collided with the silver beam of light and she screamed as the hand wielding it suddenly felt like it had been caught on fire.

"Princess!" a female voice shouted as Virgo appeared with a pop and knelled next to Lucy. Yukino appeared by the pink haired spirit's side as Lucy clenched her teeth against the pain and cradled her hand against her stomach.

It felt worse than being burnt by Natsu's fire, or at least, she would imagine it as so, seeing as Natsu had never attacked her with it, accidentally or playfully. He must have known it wasn't safe to use his fire on her.

"Lucy!" said person's voice suddenly shouted through the pandemonium of fire and light and falling gravestones. Lucy managed a pained smile for her friend as he appeared and she shook her head.

"I'm fine," she snapped through the pain and Natsu looked a little taken aback, then he looked worried.

"No, you're obviously _not_ fine." He knelt next to Lucy and gently pulled her hand away from her stomach. Lucy bit down a scream as Natsu's eyes widened, _oh, God, it hurt like hell._ "I'm sorry, Lucy!"

"S'right," she muttered, panting from the pain. "Natsu, I think I know what that is. Don't let it touch you; it will drain your magic. It's a part of when a Celestial Spirit wizard's magic goes bad, but every time the person uses it, he loses a day of his life. " Lucy let out a whimper as her hand flared with pain and Natsu stared at her with wide eyes, she took a few deep breaths, "I'm lucky it hit my Fleur d'Tourus. If it had hit me directly, then I would probably be dead by now."

Natsu's eyes narrowed and Lucy flinched as his fists lit on fire. Then she let out a gasp when her hand suddenly didn't feel as bad and she looked down at it, where Natsu was still touching it. She nearly let out a scream, but instead she bit it down and looked at Natsu's onyx eyes, which were full of fury.

"Go, Natsu," she hissed through her clenched teeth, "Loke and the others won't be able to keep it up for long. I'll be fine with Yukino and Virgo."

Natsu shot her a look, then he let out a sigh and nodded and darted forward. Lucy let out a soft moan when the pain came back at full force, did Natsu's fire dull the pain? Well, obviously they did...

"Ugh," she whispered under her breath as Virgo took her hand. Lucy was slightly surprised when she realized the spirit's hands were warm. Suddenly her hand didn't feel like it was on fire and Lucy relaxed slightly, it only felt like it was _boiling_ now. But that was better than being scorched by flames.

"Is she going to be alright?" Yukino's concerned voice floated through Lucy's ears. There was silence for a moment and Lucy gulped as Virgo's grip tightened on her.

"I think so."

Lucy felt a moment of relief before her hand suddenly flared up again and she couldn't stop the scream from escaping her lips. Her head fell back as her back arched slightly and Virgo's comforting warmth disappeared. Her heart began to pound under her breast, so fast that she was sure that this must be the end.

 _Good bye everyone, I'm sorry I failed you Natsu. I promised I would get better so I wouldn't be useless, so I wouldn't be a burden, but now I'm dying, and it's because of the same magic I use. It looks like Yukino will be the Ultimate Spirit Summoner, not me. I'm so sorry, Natsu._

 _I love you._

Lucy's eyes flew open at those three words and she fell to the ground, panting heavily as the pain stopped abruptly. She jerked and curled into herself, trying to recover. She closed her eyes and waited for her breathing to slow down, taking deep gulps of air. There was silence and she wondered if Natsu, Loke, Taurus, Libra and Picses had defeated the Zeref-Lookalike. Then she heard a soft moan and she shot up, her eyes widening as they landed on Yukino's form. The white haired mage was curled in on herself, her hands wrapped around her stomach.

Lucy launched herself at her friend and rolled her over, her eyes widening as she took in Yukino's face. It was clammy with sweat steaming down it, and her eyes were darkening. But despite all of that, Yukino smiled sadly at Lucy.

"You think I was going to let you die? You could have fooled Natsu, but I knew. That whip," Yukino groaned and shifted, tearing up slightly and Lucy gently took her hand. What had her friend done?! "That whip is a part of you, and we both knew it." She bit her lip as her back arched slightly. Lucy's eyes widened as she realized what happened.

"NO! YOU DIDN'T, YUKINO!" she screeched, her eyes widening as she took in the black lines forming on her face. Yukino smiled sadly and jerked her head in a form of a nod. Lucy felt tears begin to prick at her eyes.

"Yeah," her voice was soft, "I traded my place for yours." Lucy felt tears fall out of her eyes and down her cheeks, she wasn't sure if she was shocked or touched or angry at her friend.

"Yukino..." she whispered, letting her voice trail off in midair. Yukino grimaced and pulled out three keys, and Lucy glanced at them before looking at her friend.

"Lucy," Yukino had tears falling out of her eyes now, "I don't think you know this, but we're the last Celestial Spirit mages." Lucy's eyes widened with surprise as Yukino held her hand out, "You need to take them, please. If you don't, they'll fade with me, seeing as they'll have no one else to take ownership of them." Yukino's eyes were desperate and Lucy could see she didn't want that to happen. " _Please,_ Lucy, I know you'll be able to do it."

Sweat formed on Lucy's face as her hands shook, could she really do this? Could she handle all twelve of the keys to the Zodiac? She knew what would happen, Draco, the thirteenth key would form. And Lucy had no idea if she could control, whatever he was.

"I..."

Yukino's grip on her shoulder tightened, "Please, Lucy, you'll need all twelve of them in the Ultimate Battle between good and evil."

Lucy's eyes widened as she stared at her friend, and Yukino smiled sadly. She clenched her fist, could she... but, this was just evil! She just couldn't take someone else's keys, even if, if they would fade.

Lucy bit her lip, if her positions had been switched with Yukino, actually, they _had,_ she would have done the same thing... and she would have been grateful to know they wouldn't die with her.

Lucy gulped and took a deep breath, looking away and closing her eyes. _Please forgive me,_ "Fine," her eyes opened and hardened with determination. Yukino stared at her with wide eyes, "I promise I'll guard them with my life."

Yukino smiled in relief and she held her keys up. Lucy took a deep breath and wrapped her hand around Yukino's, slipping her pointer finger through the loop. Yukino's smile widened as her eyes began to close and Lucy felt tears run down her cheeks.

"Thank you, sister."

Lucy let out a loud sob at the last word as Yukino's head fell back and her eyes closed. Lucy shivered and gently laid her friend down, smiling sadly as she realized the Celestial Spirit mage would rest in peace. Lucy took a deep breath and stood up, her eyes hardening as she saw the pandemonium Natsu and her spirits had caused. Lucy clenched the key ring to her heart as she met Natsu's gaze, her best friend looked tired, but satisfied, so she knew she had defeated the Zeref lookalike.

Suddenly those three words she thought popped into her mind and she blushed. Natsu walked over to her and smiled. Lucy felt tears fall out of her eyes as she ran forward and wrapped her arms around him, sobbing against his chest. Natsu wrapped his arms around her in return, his eyes softening as he stared at the blond in his arms.

"Natsu," she whimpered as the tears kept on cascading down her cheeks like a waterfall. "I'm so sorry, Yukino... if only I had been stronger... oh, _God._ She's gone and I... if only I had been stronger. I'm still weak, despite everything..."

Natsu let out a sigh and buried his hand in her hair, tightening his arms around her. "It wasn't your fault."

Lucy sobbed against his chest as she let out a dry heave. "I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry..."

And so, the first Ultimatum concluded.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Four

Lucy kicked a stone and Natsu watched it skid a good five, six feet down the road. She had been doing same thing to the same stone over and over for the past hour or two. Ever since they had left the last town (Natsu did _not_ like liked Lucy, she was his _nakama_ ), nothing interesting had happened. Unless someone would count a couple of raging Hippos, but that issue had been sorted out rather quickly with Aquarius and some fire.

For once, Lucy had been the one to create the destruction. Natsu would _never_ let her live down how she destroyed half of a forest _and_ got him, Happy and herself soaked in the process. The one time Natsu _hadn't_ caused destruction, she (or her spirit) had instead.

He had to admit, her face had been brilliant. And she had agreed to not use trains for a _month_.

Of course, she later regretted the spontaneous decision, but Natsu could have kissed her in that moment. (Not that he would, of course. She was his _best friend._ )

"Natsu?" Lucy turned to look at him, her eyes big with childlike curiosity. Natsu gulped and looked down at her, unable to restrain a smile. Her eyes suddenly caught a mischievous glint, "Last one to the town is a rotten egg."

"Huh?" Natsu's question went unanswered and he let his jaw drop slightly as he watched her take off.

Wait.

"HEY! GET BACK HERE, CHEATER!"

* * *

Natsu skidded to a stop right in front of the town as he stared up at the great imposing walls. They were gray, very sturdy, and obviously designed to keep intruders out… and the people in.

"Oi, Luce, do you think this is a good idea?"

Lucy turned and began to walk over to his side, her feet crounching against the dry grass. Her eyes revealed the worry in her and Natsu felt his stomach clench. She bit her bottom lip as she glanced up at those walls while she clutched Happy against her chest.

"No," she said after a few moments, "This is most definitely _not_ a good idea."

Natsu smirked and he was about to reply when the doors suddenly creaked open, almost as if a ghost had pushed them, or the wind. He gulped, why was he hesitating? It wasn't like him to hesitate…

But something in him was screaming at him to take Lucy and run.

"Are we seriously still going in there?" Lucy asked as she looked toward Natsu. Natsu clenched his fist at his side. Natsu Dragneel did _not_ run away from a fight. She sighed, "I figured so. C'mon."

And so, despite all his instincts screaming at him not to, and against his better judgment, Natsu followed Lucy inside.

* * *

It was a trap.

Of course it was a trap.

Lucy gritted her teeth as she pressed her back against Natsu's, holding her keys out in front of her as she wondered what they were going to do. The walls blocked them in, the door was closed and the village…

They looked like they had been brainwashed and were now robots acting out on an order. Lucy stared at a little girl, who was unnaturally pale, her dark hair was stringy and her lips were unnaturally red. Lucy knew that with just a little imagination, she could imagine bloodstained fangs, biting into Nat—no. She was _not_ going down that path.

The air heated up around her while Happy spread his wings and took to the air. The zombie village took another step closer and Lucy gulped as she wondered who had the power to do something like this. The only person she knew of was, Zeref.

…

She looked over her shoulder and glanced at Natsu, who looked uncharacteristically serious. Natsu must have sensed she was looking at him or something, because his head turned around and Lucy's eyes widened as she realized that he wasn't just serious, he was _nervous_.

 _But what would make a dragon slayer like Natsu nervous?_

Lucy didn't want to figure it out.

"Do you know who it is?" Natsu's voice was quiet and Lucy clenched Leo's key. So, he did realize…

"Yeah," she muttered, "I hope he's not going to come."

Natsu flashed her his trademark grin and Lucy felt the pit of unease in her stomach lessen a little. "Don't worry Luce, I'll get us out of here in no time." He cracked his finger muscles while Lucy blanked.

"What about me? I can help." She let out a huff and stretched her arm out straight to her side so that it was straight. "Gate of the lion, I open thee! Leo!"

Light surrounded her and a breeze that previously wasn't there before surrounded her and blew her hair back. Loke appeared next to her, pushing his sunglasses up as he looked at the villagers.

"Time to defeat the bad guys, Princess?" he asked. Lucy knew he was being serious and was only asking out of courtesy, he already knew what to do.

"Go all out."

Loke tossed a smirk over his shoulder at her as Lucy unhooked Sagittarius's key and her whip. The sky lit up from Natsu's fire and Loke's punch and she snapped her whip over her head.

"Gate of the archer, I open thee! Sagittarius!" her voice rang over the clearing, loud and confident as the lights lit up the sky. A second later, Sagittarius stood there and he saluted Lucy.

"Moshi, moshi, what do you want me to do, commander?"

Lucy smiled at the centaur, at least _some_ of her spirits weren't perverts.

"Help Natsu and Loke give them Hell, Sagittarius."

The horse-man smirked, something Lucy had never seen him do as he pulled out his bow and arrows.

"I'm going to enjoy this."

Lucy gulped, something about his voice… it sounded different. And she had no doubt that he would do _exactly what she told him_.

Lucy almost felt sorry for the villagers.

* * *

Natsu swung around, took a deep breath, and shouted, " _Fire Dragon's Roar!_ "

A pillar of fire went out of his mouth and surrounded the villagers. Natsu watched as they danced, wondering if that was going to be all it took to beat them all.

"Is that it?" Loke sounded surprised. Natsu looked at the lion spirit, who had once been a member of his guild (was he still?) and shrugged.

The fire disappeared abruptly, making Natsu light his fist on fire again. The dragon slayer's eyes widened as he took in the men and women… _who were not at all harmed._

"It didn't do any harm!" Loke sounded genuinely shocked, as if he had expected at least a little burn. Natsu growled as he cracked his fists. Ah well, at least he liked challenges…

"This… just got a lot more complicated."

* * *

Lucy took a deep breath and looked at the key in her hand. Should she try to summon Scorpio so that they could end this quickly?

Her question went answered when everything froze.

Lucy's eyes widened as she took in everything. Natsu had fallen to the ground, (his fire had went out,) Loke looked a little confused as his hand had been swirling with light… and now it was out.

The wind suddenly picked up and Lucy found herself inching closer to Natsu. Everything around them started to wither and die, the grass turned brown then black. The trees turned brown then began to bend over. Even the buildings seemed to have gone a hundred years forward in time and were slowly falling apart. Lucy found Natsu's hand and he squeezed it.

Zeref had found them.

Lucy turned to Sagittarius and Loke, both of whom seemed nervous and she realized they had never met the black mage before. Lucy didn't dare break the silence that had consumed them though. An irrational part of her hoped that if she didn't say his name, he wouldn't come.

So, of course, her hopes crashed and burned when a black whirlwind (it was _literally_ black) seemed to form out of nowhere and the middle of the clearing. Lucy turned away from it, half expecting it to snatch her, Natsu, Happy (where was that cat?), Loke and Sagittarius up.

The stench of death hit Lucy's nose and she felt Natsu's hand tighten around hers. Lucy thought she heard music in the background, playing a sad but eerie melody, but she dismissed it as her imagination.

Instead, she looked away from Natsu (why was her head buried in his shoulder anyway?) and at the dark haired man in front of her.

She found herself unable to look away from his swirling red and black eyes.

"Zeref." Natsu rasped next to her. Lucy heard the hint of fear in his voice and she felt something icy surge through her as her mind went blank.

Zeref's lips curled into a smirk. "You could have stopped this, Natsu Dragneel." He said in his sad but smooth voice.

"I know."

Those simple two words… oh how Lucy wished she had never heard those words come out of Natsu's mouth.

Zeref's eyes flashed as he raised his hand.

Lucy felt something shove her to the ground and she stared at Natsu's back as Loke stood to join him and Sagittarius.

Lucy closed her eyes and unhooked the one key she had _never_ shown anyone before, not even Natsu.

She opened her eyes and looked at the word.

 _Ultimatum._

The ultimate key. The key that could open all of the gates to the spirit world. The key her mother had given her.

The key Lucy had promised to never use.

Lucy's eyes hardened as she stood and unhooked Scorpio and Virgo from her belt.

 _The last resort key._

* * *

 _"What do you think about the word ultimatum Lucy?"_

 _"What do you mean, Natsu?"_

 _"…Mira was talking about ultimatums and love."_

 _"Oh. Well—"_

 _"Why does it always seem to be connected to sacrifice, Luce? Death and sacrifice? Shouldn't we try to avoid an ultimatum at all costs? I don't want to loose anybody…"_

 _A smile. "Oh, Natsu. Ultimatum does not always connect to those two words. The root of the word is ultimate, which means final, or last. Sometimes it's connected with choices and decisions, just don't ever be afraid of the word_ Ultimatum _."_

 _"Oh…"_

 _"Come on, let's go get some food."_

* * *

Natsu had no idea why that memory suddenly decided to pop into his mind, but as Lucy flicked two of her keys and summoned Virgo and Scorpio, he felt something he wasn't used to. It came from deep inside of him, and Natsu was honestly surprised he could feel that far down.

"Hey, Natsu, cover me."

Natsu blinked at his female partner a couple of times, was she ordering him around? Lucy didn't say anything else, she only flicked her whip and swung it out. Natsu felt his lips curl up as he lit his fists on fire as he felt the urge to laugh bubble beneath his skin. Lucy, of all people, was ordering _Natsu Dragneel_ around; and he didn't mind it one bit.

One of the bulky looking men jumped forward, a knife appearing in his hand as he aimed for Lucy's back, but Natsu felt something come in the back of his throat and escape his lips.

He blinked at the sound, he, recognized it, Igneel had used it many times, either when they were playing or, if there was an enemy around.

Natsu had growled.

He took a deep breath and let it go, with a loud, " _Roar of the Fire Dragon_." Fire flew out of his mouth and surrounded the man, leaping up and dancing. The man let out a scream and Natsu nearly covered his ears, but then it was gone in just two seconds and Natsu stopped the fire by snapping his mouth shut.

"Natsu, watch o…!" Natsu suddenly found that he was on the ground, with a familiar weight on top of him and he blinked up at Lucy, who smiled at him even tohugh she looked like she was in pain. Natsu's eyes widened as her eyes seemed to tear up before she gritted her teeth and pulled out a key.

A diamond key.

Natsu's eyes widened as he took in the key that wasn't the gold or silver he was used to. Lucy smiled at him, but there was sweat falling down her face and Natsu suddenly had the strange urge to, to touch her face.

 _We are in the middle of a battle, Natsu! This is no time to get side-tracked! You can figure out these weird feelings later._

"Natsu," Lucy's voice broke on that simple word and something bitter rose in Natsu's throat. She licked her lips. "This, this key is supposed to open all the Celestial Spirit gates… even if I don't have a contract with them."

…don't. You. Dare.

Lucy smiled slightly, "This key is known as the last resort key… no one can wield it. None that I have heard of because it just simply uses up all of his, or hers, magic."

Natsu couldn't stop himself, he had no restraint at all. He placed his finger on her lips. "But aren't our life forces connected to our magic?" something horrible was beginning to click inside of his mind, if Lucy used all of her magic, then wouldn't she…?

"Yeah, that's why this is called the last resort key." Natsu's eyes widened as she pulled away from him, "That's why this is the _Ultimatum_ key."

And, suddenly, it all clicked. Natsu pushed himself up, acting on a sudden surge of strength as he watched as Lucy stood and thrust her hand out. He could already see the magical energy surrounding her as the key turned a brilliant golden color.

"Gates of the stars, I open thee!" Lucy took a deep breath and Natsu watched as she slowly rose into the air, a white aura surrounding her. " _Ultimatum!_ " she screamed the last word of her chant, throwing her head back and arching her back.

" _Lucy!"_

Natsu had never felt such terror fill him as he watched as a gold star appear right in front of her. Everything turned silent, and Natsu found himself hoping against hope itself that she had done something wrong. Something inside of him told him that the spell she had done, it could potentially…

"You idiot!" Loke appeared next to Lucy and Natsu was transfixed by the lion spirit, who looked frantic and worried. His coat wasn't as neat as it normally was. "Do you know what you've done, Lucy!? Do you know how _dangerous_ it is to hold the _Ultimatum_ open!?"

Natsu's breath caught in his throat, never _ever_ had he heard the man call Lucy by her real name. It was normally princess or master, but _never_ Lucy. He pushed himself up, whatever she was doing… if she could invoke such a reaction out of her strongest spirit, and the bravest… there was no doubt that it _was not safe._

Lucy opened her eyes and she smiled at Loke, "'course I do." Her voice, it wasn't _Lucy_. It was more like ten Lucys speaking through one Lucy, or at least, that was what it sounded to Natsu. "I can do this."

Loke looked both angry and scared as Natsu finally got to his feet. Something small and warm landed on his shoulder and he glanced at Happy (where had _he_ been anyway?) before he looked back at Lucy. Her eyes were still open and they were clearly looking at Natsu. With a startle, he realized she was waiting for _him_ to say something. Natsu found his throat dry, but he spoke the only words he could in that situation,

"I believe in you."

Lucy smiled and she closed her eyes again. Natsu had to shield his eyes from the sudden light that came out from her, out and over the clearing. Natsu could almost feel it seep into the Earth and out of it, through the trees and maybe even the people. He could taste the air suddenly grow sweeter and he opened his eyes.

In front of him… the stars were dancing.

"Wow…"

Natsu had always thought Lucy's magic was pretty, but the only word to describe this was… there was no word to describe this. Beautiful would be understating it. So would awe inspiring.

The stars seemed to dance around him, twisting and turning in the air like little fireflies. Natsu thought he heard laughter and maybe a little music as they swirled above and in front and all around him. They were like little golden glitters of dust, but, not. They were like smaller versions of the ones in the sky, just as bright though. They were… they were…

There were no words to describe them.

Happy's tail went back and forth as the stars seemed to gather to the ground and then they slowly formed into figures. Natsu recognized quite a few of them, Virgo, the scary psychotic mermaid Aquarius. Both of them seemed to shine a little, as if they were more, star-like than human at the moment. Natsu didn't recognize others, there was a red haired man who winked at him, another had a black beard and a crown, and there was a woman who wore a dress of a lot of pretty colours— almost like a rainbow.

"Are you alright, princess?" Virgo stepped next to Loke, and even Natsu could see she was concerned when she didn't ask her customary ' _is it punishment time?_ '.

Lucy's lips went up, "Yeah," her voice was faint and Natsu almost wondered if he had imagined it. "I'm fine."

The red haired man and the bearded man stepped forward, and… wait. Why was Loke _bowing_!?

"Draco, your majesty." the Lion Spirit stood and Draco nodded at him, a light smile on his face.

 _Wasn't Draco the dragon?_

"Leo," Draco responded as Loke pushed his sunglasses up. "Long time no see, old friend."

Loke smirked before he turned to Lucy, "Let me guess, Death Breath won't give up?"

Lucy nodded, "Yeah, that's why I need your help."

Loke smiled as his fist began to glow. "You don't even need to ask anymore." He turned to Natsu, "Hey, Natsu, guard her back. She can't protect herself while holding the _Ultimatum_ open."

Natsu found himself nodding as he lit his fist on fire, this was one time where he would have to stand back and not go charging in recklessly like he would normally. "I'm staying here."

Draco tipped an imaginary hat toward Natsu and lifted his arms, as if he was about to fly. Natsu was about to ask Loke if he had gone crazy, when… his arms began to turn into wings. Huge and bat like… like a dragon's.

Draco took to the sky, his form shifting into one of a golden dragon with a tint of red in him. Natsu blinked for a moment, if he imagined the Celestial Spirit as a red dragon…

 _Igneel?_

* * *

The dragon flew above the Lion, his bat-like wings beating powerfully, creating a wind. Loke took a deep breath as he wondered if his master would ever get his key, he knew Draco would like Lucy. And he and Natsu…

 _Draco would be here even more than I am_.

Loke shook the thought out of his head as he lifted his fist and went at the black mage, Zeref. He had only been a cub when Zeref had walked the Earth, but even _he_ remembered the destruction and horror of his reign. Even now, they were still recovering and now that he was awake again…

"Let's attack at the same time!" Loke nearly stumbled as he attempted to look at the dragon, but he nodded anyways.

" _Oh, Regulus, grant me your strength…"_ Loke began as he neared the mage. His hand began to glow.

" _Roar of the…_ " Draco shouted above him.

In sync, they both shouted, " _Lion's Brilliance!" "Celestial Dragon!"_

* * *

Zeref watched the blonde. She was interesting. She could open the Ultimatum. He had always thought the threat was Natsu Dragneel, it was obvious he was the more powerful of the two of them, but perhaps he had gotten it wrong. Perhaps the true threat was Lucy Heartphilia, if she could handle opening all of the gates, still stay conscious, and _the spirits themselves could use magic…_

She had to be the Ultimatum. He had to get rid of her, before she realized her true power. He should have sensed this before it happened!

All of the spirits crowded around him as Draco and, what had she called him? Loke, cast their spells. Zeref only sighed, they were strong indeed, but not against him.

"There isn't a scratch on him!" one of them shouted, a female. Zeref opened his eyes and he looked at a, blue haired mermaid?

"Of course there isn't, he's one of the most powerful sorcerers in history!" the dragon shouted, obviously angry as he turned back into his human form.

 _There's too many of them, I'll have to send them_ there _, even if the fire dragon will escape._

Zeref lowered his head to hide the smirk playing at his lips. He did like entertainment after all… it would be fun to have to beat a dragon.

He lifted his head, " _Death Transportation Method: Ice Realm!"_

* * *

Natsu let out a groan as he opened his eyes, only to be greeted with something red in front of him, and something cold and wet underneath him.

 _Huh? Why am I cold? Where am I?_

He closed his eyes and laid there for a couple of seconds, trying to remember what happened. There was a battle, and they were losing, and then Zeref appeared, and then she had opened all of the gates to the Celestial Spirit world, and then they had attacked and then there was only black and—wait. Lucy. Opened the Ultimatum.

 _"_ Lucy!" Natsu shot up, opened his eyes and began to look for her familiar blond head of hair. He nearly threw up when he saw her, with Loke and the dragon spirit hovering over her. Natsu half dragged himself, half crawled over to them and he looked at them.

She looked like she was sleeping.

"Natsu?" Loke looked at him and Natsu met his gaze.

"How is she?" he tried to keep his voice steady, but he had a feeling it didn't work. The dragon spirit looked at him sympathetically.

"She's fine," he said and Natsu felt something in him lift. He almost felt like crying, but that wouldn't be very manly. Instead he sat down by her head and placed it in his lap. Lucy let out a soft huff and a little bit of her hair blew out of her face.

Loke frowned at the dragon spirit (Natsu really needed to learn his name). "She used up all of her magical energy, Draco! ( _That's it!)_ She should be fine, but we don't know."

Natsu felt his breathing pick up again as he placed his hand on her shoulder. "Why are you two still here then?" he asked, if her magic energy was gone…

Draco smirked at Natsu, as if he knew something Natsu didn't. "Don't worry, Natsu, we're here on our own energy until Lucy gets better."

Natsu was about to reply to that when something moved next to him and a little blue head appeared out of the white powdery stuff (snow?). Natsu nearly smiled as he realized that it was Happy as the cat walked, or more like waddled, over to him.

"Nat-suuuu," the cat mumbled as he plopped down next to him. "I couldn't help you!" tears began to form in his eyes and Natsu couldn't resist pulling the cat closer to him. "And now Lu-shee's hurt!"

Natsu smiled a little sadly, "It's alright, Happy." He murmured, "It wasn't your fault."

Happy snuggled into him, although there were still tears falling out of his eyes as he looked at their female friend. "But if I…"

Natsu shook his head, and he was about to say something when Draco held up a gold key, like Loke's. "Give Lucy this." He said, tossing it over to Natsu who caught it subconsciously. Loke looked at Draco, but Natsu couldn't read his expression.

"You're giving her your key?"

He was surprised.

Draco nodded as he glanced up. Natsu frowned as he smelled the air, the scent of this red thing, it was familiar… he had smelled before, but where had he…

"Hey, wake up!"

Natsu blinked a couple of times as the thing shifted and he realized that what they were sitting under, was the leg to a dragon. "Impatient as ever, I see. How are you, Draco?"

…

This just was not possible. It couldn't be… had all of his searching come down to this? Had he finally found him?

Natsu suddenly found himself in tears and a wave of emotion hit him.

 _I'm going to kill you, Igneel._

" _Dad_!?"


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter Five

"Hello, Natsu."

Natsu stared at those great golden eyes as a wave of emotions washed over him. One felt like a burning knife, hot and searing through Natsu and he wanted to throw attack after attack at his father—a familiar feeling when he fought either Gray or an enemy who had threatened his nakama. But the emotion passed quickly and he suddenly felt as if a foot had decided to step on his heart to crush it. The back of his throat and eyes burnt and he swallowed.

"Igneel," he forced his mouth to move although the voice wasn't his. It was too weak, too shaky. He took a couple of steps closer to the dragon. "It's really you?"

A nod, and Natsu thought he could see the beginning of what was the dragon equivalent of a smile.

Natsu took a step forward and rested his hand on his father's snout. "You left me," his voice shook and his eyes suddenly felt very wet. There even was the beginning of that first emotion he had felt, but it wasn't as strong. "You abandoned me... And you had promised you would never do that."

Igneel sighed, but it was so soft that Natsu barely heard it.

"I know, and I'm sorry."

...

Natsu's mind went blank and he found himself backing away from Igneel as he clenched his fist. The emotion made his whole body tremble and he felt the urge to combust into flames, but he squashed it down for a moment.

" _Sorry?_ You left me to fend for myself for _fourteen bloody years!_ You abandoned me a week after you said you _wouldn't_ , after you said we would always be family! _I didn't understand, I still don't understand WHY!_ Why _did_ you abandon me, _why did you leave me to fend for myself?_ " Curse the tears that were falling down his cheeks.

 _"WHY DID YOU ABANDON ME!? WHY AREN'T YOU SAYING ANYTHING, DAD? I TRUSTED YOU!"_ Natsu paused and all of a sudden, he found he just felt tired. "...I hated you _."_

And suddenly Natsu found he was much closer to the ground than usual as he stared into those gold eyes. His cheeks were wet and sticky with tears, something he had promised he would never do, after all, he had shed so many after Igneel had left and he was _tired_ of crying. Around him, plants and a few trees were on fire, but his main attention was on Igneel, who looked sad as he stared down at him. Natsu remembered that expression, but he had never seen it so pronounced on Igneel's poker face.

"I can't say anything, because I have nothing to say. There is nothing I can say to excuse my actions and their consequences, because they are inexcusable." Igneel lowered his head so that they were eyelevel, "Even if I didn't want to abandon you, even if I had to leave, I should have told you at the very least. And for that, I am sorry."

Natsu sighed as the emotion drained out of him completely (anger, Lucy's voice whispered) and he felt so _tired_ , as if he had ate a thousand towers of heaven's worth of Etherno. He raised his hand and placed it on Igneel's snout.

"Natsu!" Natsu's eyes shot open (when had they closed?) and he looked up. "Are you destroying something again? I swear, it's impossible to get a wink of sleep with you around half of the time!" He heard stomps and he wondered if a hole would appear and swallow him whole. "I mean _really_ , you're making enough noise with your yelling to wake an entire army! And who are you—KYAH!"

Natsu cringed and resisted the urge to cover his ears.

"IT'S A GIANT OVER-GROWN LIZARD!"

"Lizard?"

"DID IT ATTACK YOU!?"

"Did you just call me a _lizard_?"

"LUCY..."

"Wait a moment, Luce!" Natsu began but it was too late. The foot had already went on the warpath that Natsu was (unfortunately) familiar with.

"...KICK!"

Holding her foot as she jumped up and down, cursing so fluently that it would make even a sailor cringe, stood Lucy Heartfilia in all of her blazing glory.

* * *

"Congratulations. You've finally brainwashed me."

" _I'm_ not the one who randomly kicks innocent bystanders."

"You're the reckless one!"

Natsu smiled up at her in amusement before he looked back down at her foot, which had already begun to swell, courtesy of Igneel's scales. Said dragon was watching them in a mixture of amusement and concern, although when it was just Natsu looking, he thought he saw the hint of thought and (dare he say it?) mischievousness in those orbs.

Natsu _hated_ that look, it usually meant something embarrassing was about to happen.

"I know I'm reckless, but that doesn't mean _you_ should be. You're the only sane member of our team! Erza's a demon and Gray's an ice princess."

Lucy smirked at him and Natsu realized that admitting that to her might not have been very good for her ego...

"Finally someone admit it, and it only makes it better since it's _you_ who admitted it." Natsu found his gaze traveling down to her lips and he watched as they moved. He had never noticed how plump they were, or how pale... perhaps they were as soft as they looked? "And besides, you never told me that Igneel's scales _hurt_."

Natsu looked back into those eyes (how come he had never realized they almost looked like chocolate?) and rubbed the back of his neck. What had he been thinking? And about his _partner_ of all people.

"Of course I didn't, because I had no idea. Now be quiet so I can check your foot."

Lucy went silent and Natsu placed his hand on her lower thigh. His arm suddenly felt like it had been placed in an electrical socket, but he dutifully ignored the sensation as he went lower and lower, closer to her feet, trying to ignore how his stomach clenched and something unpleasant started to fly in it—like butterflies, or worse than butterflies. They were more like moths, swarming to a light source, determined to break his willpower and self...

"Are you okay, Natsu?"

Natsu tried not to shudder with the way she said his name, a little raspy, as if she was out of breath or had been running, and smiled at her. "Fine," he rubbed the back of his neck and made the mistake of looking at Igneel... who winked at Natsu.

 _That's it. Something is very wrong with me_

"If you say so."

Natsu tried not to think about how sexy she looked, staring down at him in concern with her hands behind her to hold her up, and focused all of his might on feeling her leg for broken bones because he knew she would deny any pain for as long as she could.

She let out a soft gasp when Natsu's hands began to tug off a boot and he looked at her in concern. She bit her lip and smiled, but it looked more like a grimace to him.

"Did you break your ankle?"

Lucy shook her head, "No. Just a bad sprain."

Natsu raised an eyebrow, but he nodded. He believed her, besides, she never lied outright to anyone. Instead, he pulled off her shoe a little more carefully, resisting the urge to jerk every time she let out a hiss of pain.

And then it was finally off.

Natsu heard Lucy let out a sigh of relief and something small and warm fell on his shoulder. He didn't look at it, because he knew it was Happy and he only focused on Lucy's ankle.

It had already begun to swell, and black and blue marks had formed, but it was nowhere as bad as he had feared.

"How bad is it?" Happy sounded a little worried and Natsu looked at him. The cat was resting on his shoulder and Natsu was sure his tail was hanging down. He thought he could feel it.

"Not bad," Natsu smiled at him before he glanced at Lucy. Her eyes were closed and her mouth was open a little, but her body was relaxed. "You 'kay, Luce?" he reached out to take her shoulder, but she shot up and instead his hand landed on her cheeks.

Her eyes opened and Natsu recognized that emotion, it was surprise. "Y-yeah," her cheeks dusted a light shade of pink, "I'm o-okay." Lucy smiled.

"Natsu," Natsu turned and he met Igneel's gaze. "I can heal her."

Natsu blanked, Igneel could heal? Like Wendy? ...Why had he never healed Natsu himself then?

Igneel must have read his expression, "I didn't realize I could heal until later on." Natsu heard the translation, _after I abandoned you._ Even the thought still left a bile taste in his mouth, but he didn't want to argue with Igneel over it again—or worse.

When his dad got angry, he was scary.

Natsu moved away from her feet and looked at Lucy.

"Let the overgrown lizard do whatever he likes, I trust you Natsu so I trust him."

Natsu felt a grin make its way on his face at her nickname for Igneel. He knew Igneel liked her when he let her call him that, and he knew she wasn't one to call people (or dragons) somewhat insulting nicknames without good reason. And there was an ounce of truth in it...

"I am _not_ overgrown or a lizard." Igneel sat down and if Natsu hadn't known better, he would have thought his foster-father was, pouting.

"Now I can see where it comes from." Happy snickered into his ear and Natsu wondered what 'it' was. Igneel fixed an eye on Happy before he redirected his gaze at Lucy, who stared right back at him. Natsu had to admire that part of her, when she wanted to, she could have guts of steel, and being able to stand up to _that_ stare and not cower... well, that only made Natsu's heart beat faster than normal while he felt a small (or large) blossom of awe for her bloom in his chest.

Of course, he had always been a little awed by her. She had nerves of steel.

"I rest my case." She rolled her eyes but let the matter drop. "Now, foot, please?" The please didn't sound very sincere to Natsu, but he didn't mention it. He had a feeling neither would appreciate it; he was beginning to realize that while one had the temper of a dragon, the other _was_ a dragon...

 _I'm not going to make it until tomorrow..._

"Is that an order?"

"If you want it to be."

Was that a smirk on Igneel's face?

"Your foster-father and Lu-shee are scary when they're together." Happy whispered into his ear again and Natsu snorted. Oh yes, they were scary, but Natsu had a feeling that they really liked each other despite the bickering and he could see Lucy had a bit of respect in her eyes even as she argued with Igneel.

 _I knew taking Luce with me was a good idea._

"As you wish then," Natsu nearly lit on fire again. Had Igneel, accepted that as an order and not a request? Natsu understood if the question had come from a Dragon Master, but Lucy wasn't one. She must have more of Igneel's respect than he realized.

"DAMN YOU, IGNEEL!"

Natsu jumped and Happy fell off his shoulder and he stared in awe at Lucy. He had never heard the blond mage curse before, so no one could blame him for being a _little_ surprised. Lucy's face was red and her cheeks were puffed out as she glared at Igneel, little wisps of blond hair falling into her eyes.

"You could have told me it would hurt!" she sounded _very_ ticked off.

"I didn't _realize_ it would hurt!"

"Oh, so you healed me without testing your powers to see if they would work first!?"

"..."

Natsu figured that would be a good time to interrupt before Lucy did something stupid again. _And now I'm the rational one, the world has come to an end._ He thought a little sarcastically.

"Lucy, Loke and the other spirit gave me this to give to you." Natsu dug into his pocket and pulled out a key, noticing the way Igneel's eyes widened in realization. Lucy stared at the key before she took it from his hand and looked at it carefully.

"Draco... and it's a diamond key... there's only three diamond keys, the Celestial King, Draco the Dragon's and... I can't remember the last one." Lucy paused and then her eyes widened and Natsu wondered if she was about to have a heart attack with the way her heart rate had suddenly picked up speed. She turned to him and her eyes were wide, and Natsu had a nasty feeling she was about to start brawling her eyes out. He didn't like it when that happened, it made his chest hurt. "I'M SUPPOSED TO KNOW THIS STUFF, NATSU!" she lunged forward and grabbed Natsu's shoulders, and Natsu held his breath as he realized just how close they were. He could feel her breath on his face, and if he or she leaned in a little more...

"I'M A CELESTIAL SPIRIT MAGE AND I CAN'T REMEMBER SOMETHING, OHMYGOSH, OHMYGOSH, THIS IS TERRIBLE! I'M A HORRIBLE CELESTIAL SPIRIT MAGE! I DON'T DESERVE TO B—"

Natsu placed his finger on her lips, which was the only way to silence her. "Hey, just because you don't remember something doesn't mean you're a bad Celestial Spirit mage. You're not _expected_ to remember everything, and besides, we can go to a library or bookstore or something and look it up..." ... _And I can burn the place down._

Natsu didn't dare voice that last part of the sentence to her, he had a feeling she wouldn't appreciate it.

She brightened, "Yeah, that's right. When we get back to Magnolia, we can check the library there. They have an _amazing_ section on Celestial..." Natsu started to tune her out, nodding occasionally when she looked at him as he focused on the way her lips moved rapidly, forming the words or the way her eyes sparkled or the way she made little gestures with her hands...

" _You liiikkee each other_."

...and now he was going to turn Happy into a hat, slowly and painfully. He was going to shave his head first, then his neck, then his back and stomach, and he would not give him fish for a whole _week_. That should be a suitable punishment.

Lucy pulled away and Natsu suddenly felt a little cold, which should be impossible because he was a fire dragon slayer for crying out loud. Lucy's cheeks were a little pink, whether it was from embarrassment or anger, Natsu didn't know. He only leaned into something solid and watched as she began to chase the cat around the clearing on her newly healed foot, screaming out threats and waving her fist in the air at him.

"I approve, you know."

Natsu blinked himself out of his thoughts and he looked up at Igneel in confusion. "Approve of what?"

Igneel laughed that rumbling laugh that was both terrifying and majestic. "Lucy, of course."

"..." Natsu suddenly had a nasty feeling toward where this was going and his mind flashed over to one of his last lessons...

No wonder he suddenly felt so cold. He scooted away from Igneel, just incase he needed to make his grand escape—not that it would probably get him anywhere, seeing as the last time he had tried it had ended up in an ultimate fail...

Igneel chuckled, "As your mate of course."

Just as he had feared, why did Igneel have to bring this up now? Natsu wondered if it was possible to shoot daggers with his eyes, he figured it wouldn't hurt to try.

" _Igneel_ ," his voice was at a low growl, much to Natsu's surprise. But he remembered Igneel's matchmaking attempts. "Lucy is my best friend, she's my teammate. Even if I did get a mate..." he paused and summoned all of his courage, "It wouldn't be her." Why did he feel like his heart had stopped beating and the world had come to an end? Why did it feel like a tidal wave had washed over him and destroyed everything in its path? "She's my best friend... I couldn't do a thing to destroy our relationship... I can't. I can't see a day when I'm not friends with her."

Igneel let out a sigh and he settled down and Natsu crossed his legs and placed his hands in his lap. Igneel was going into teacher mode now, and whenever that happened, Natsu knew it was best to get comfortable and to listen to his advice.

"Natsu," his voice was deep and piercing, and Natsu had never heard it this serious before, not even when he was training him with fire ("don't set anything on fire!") as there had always been a hint of playfulness in his eyes. Not even with that discussion about... mates. There had been a mischievous edge in his gaze. Natsu was one-hundred percent aware that what they were discussing was serious, with the way Igneel's gaze seemed to pierce into his soul.

"That girl is made for you, clean and simple. It's almost so clear that it's like the red string of fate has connected and intertwined your destinies from the beginning of time. You are meant to be together, you are more than just mates—you are practically one soul in two different bodies."

Igneel took a couple of breaths while Natsu stretched his legs up and brought them up to his chest so he could wrap his arms around them like he had when he had been only a child. Igneel's gaze seemed faraway now, as if he was lost in memories.

"It hurts, you know; when you lose your mate or if you let her go without a fight. The what-ifs haunt you every day—what if I had done something different? What if I had just told her? What if I could have saved her? You feel cold, as if all hope has been drained out of you. You become a shell of your former self, a robot. You either take your life or you go through mundane actions without the zeal you used to, and that's a minor way to put it. I... just don't want you to go through that pain."

The silence after that was tense an awkward, so thick that Natsu felt that if he pulled out a knife and dragged it though the air he would be able to cut through it. He let his arms fall. It sounded, almost like Igneel had lost his own mate... whether she had died or not, Natsu wasn't sure, but he had never heard such raw pain in his father's voice, and it honestly scared him. To think that one person, whether it be Lucy or not, could have such power over him...

Natsu's feet had moved without him realizing it and he was standing in front of Igneel, whose eyes were closed. He bit his lip, then he placed his hand on the Great Dragon's snout. Igneel's eyes snapped open to stare at him in an emotion Natsu could only describe as confusion, but Natsu didn't pay much attention to it. Instead he placed his hand on the left side of Igneel's chest. He remembered one time when Igneel had told him a dragon's heart was on his left side instead of his right, and he was glad he hadn't tuned that little bit of information out.

"A good friend of mine once told me that so long your heart is beating then you should live for your comrades, your friends, even your loved ones who had passed away. Because if you don't live in happiness with the ones you love, then their sacrifices will be in vain." Natsu let a smile slip on his face, "She didn't say to forget them, because they will always be a part of your history and they all made you who you are today, but to remember them. You shouldn't live in the past, Igneel, because the past is the past and you can't turn back the clock. All you can do is learn and to live for tomorrow."

There was silence, then, "When did you get so wise, my son?"

Natsu laughed shakily and wrapped his arms around Igneel's neck as far as they were able to go. "I listen, even if most people don't think I do."

Something hot hit Natsu's back, but he didn't mind, he only tightened his hold on his father. "I'm scared..." his mouth moved before his brain caught up with it and his voice was tiny. "I don't want Lucy to hate me."

 _I don't want to not be friends with Lucy._

 _"_ You just got to trust in your friendship, Natsu." Igneel's voice was barely louder than a whisper lost in the wind, but Natsu was surprised by how gentle it was. Gentle was not a word he associated with the Fire Dragon. "It is the strongest I've ever seen."

Natsu let out a sigh and rested his head against Igneel's test as the head curled around his body. "Really?" he sounded like a child again, looking in awe at the fire Igneel had conjured for the first time in front of him. The fire that he would one day wield.

"I promise."

* * *

It was quiet later that night, just before the sunrise. Any sane person would have been asleep (unless, of course, you were a morning bird), but there are a _few_ insane people out there in the world...

"Why did you leave, anyways?" Natsu looked up at his father, whose eyes were closed but he knew Igneel wasn't asleep. Igneel snorted and he opened one of his eyelids so he could fix that gold gaze on him. Natsu tilted his head and dug it into the dragon's side so he could meet those steady eyes.

"E.N.D." the answer was short, sweet and simple. Happy mumbled something under his breath, so quietly that Natsu couldn't hear him. "Have you met Zeref yet, Natsu?"

Natsu frowned, "What do you mean by yet? And yes, I have."

Igneel sighed, but Natsu wasn't sure if it was out of relief or not. "Have I told you who your parents were?"

"..." Natsu suddenly had a bad feeling in his stomach, as if everything was about to be turned upside down or a battle was about to go downhill. Igneel had never brought the subject up, and that was fine with Natsu; to him, Igneel _was_ his father.

"Does it really matter? I've always thought you're my father."

Igneel blinked then a smile went on his face, "Does this mean you're my grandfather?"

The smile disappeared and he glared at Happy while Natsu laughed. "I am _not_ old enough to be your grandfather, Sir Kitty."

Happy grinned (can cats grin?) and Igneel huffed but he rested his head on his claws again and Natsu settled down. He could sense Igneel was serious again, and that Lucy was awake.

"I'm not sure who your mother is exactly... but I know who your father is—your blood father."

Natsu leaned forward, he couldn't deny that he _was_ curious. "Who is he?"

Why did Igneel look at him like he had just signed his will? "Zeref."

Why were his ears ringing? Why did it suddenly feel like the world had done a 180 on him? "Please tell me you're joking."

Igneel sighed, "I don't joke about things like this."

A meteor could have hit the world and wiped out humanity in that moment, and Natsu would not have realized it, or even cared about it. Everything he had known had been destroyed. The man they were fighting, the man that he was destined to kill, the man who _wanted_ him to kill him... was his father?

"I need a moment."

And so, for the first time in his life, Natsu turned on his heel, ignoring Lucy's call, and fled.

* * *

 _Somewhere in the near distance, a pair of red eyes opened. A chilling smirk curled onto the man's lips and he looked up at the mountain, where the dragon woke._

 _"It's time."_


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter Six

Lucy's heart seemed to ache when she saw that emotion in Natsu's eyes, just before he had fled.

She never would have expected her friend to have it, but apparently even he had fear.

"I need to talk to him." Her feet were moving under her body, working to push her up. She glanced up at Igneel, biting her tongue lightly. "We'll be back soon." She said quietly, more to reassure herself than the dragon or Happy.

"Wait, Lucy," she stared at Happy, who looked worried. Oddly enough. "Tell Natsu that I believe in him."

Lucy almost raised an eyebrow at the odd request. Shouldn't Natsu already know that? "Okay," she said. She knew if Happy could, he would smile with the way his eyes seemed to light up in relief. She rubbed his head and tilted her head back.

"Lizard?" she knew calling Igneel a lizard probably wasn't her brightest moments... but she really couldn't help herself. He _did_ look like an overgrown, talking lizard. And his sides hurt.

Igneel snorted, smoke furling out of his nostrils. "Tell him not to do anything stupid, human girl."

 _That_ made more sense than Happy's request. Lucy nodded, her smile slipping as worry began to eat at her insides.

And she took off after Natsu.

* * *

Her lungs burned. Her feet hurt. Her legs felt like jelly. Her breathing was short and harsh. And Lucy remembered how much she hated running.

But she still pressed on, following the trail of destruction Natsu had made.

And then she stopped when she saw his lone figure in the middle of the plain of grass.

Lucy stumbled to a walk, which only made her realize how much her legs hurt. She really needed to jog more often...

"Luce?"

Lucy closed her eyes and walked up to him. Her heart was pounding, but she had a feeling it wasn't entirely because of her jog...

She stopped right behind him. "Natsu?"

It happened in less than a second. One moment, he was about ten feet in front of her, his back facing her, the next, he was pressing against her, one hand on her shoulder while the other was hanging by his side. His eyes seemed to search hers for something she didn't know she had.

She felt vulnerable under that stare. She felt scared, too. Something like this had never happened to her... and she never realized that Natsu smelled of peppermint and spices and burning wood.

She felt trapped. And hot.

But she also knew that this was _Natsu_. He was her idiot of a best friend. He was the one who always saved her when she got in trouble... and she knew he would never hurt her.

So, she dropped the last remains of the wall that she had built around her heart and let him see her emotions truly for the first time.

"Who am I really, Luce?" his voice was hoarse and shaking. Scared.

Lucy took a deep breath, "You're Natsu Dragneel, the Fire Dragon Slayer."

"But, Zeref is my—"

"So what?" she interrupted as something surged through her. It wasn't anger—not exactly. "You're who you are and what you want to be. You're not Zeref, just like I'm not my father or mother."

"But why him? Why can't it be someone- _anyone_ else?"

Lucy smiled sadly and softened her tone, placing her hand on his bicep. "I don't know, Natsu. I really don't."

Natsu closed his eyes and Lucy nearly jumped when his forehead rested against hers. Warm. He was so warm. Just like his personality. "What if I'm just like him?"

Lucy almost smiled, "That's silly, Natsu." His eyelids opened and she gazed into those dark eyes. She never knew what color they were exactly—at first she thought they were a dark green, but really? They were the color of coal.

"I still remember the day you invited me to Fairy Tail clearly. If you were... are anything like Zeref, then you wouldn't have said anything. We wouldn't be a team. And I..." she paused and grimaced, realizing the direction she almost went in. " _We_ wouldn't love you so much, Natsu."

Her eyes widened as something warm and strong wrapped around her waist, lifting her off the ground a millimetre. Lucy squeaked and wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling herself closer to him as he gently placed her on the ground.

But he didn't move away.

Lucy felt tears prick at her eyes, much to her surprise. She didn't feel sad or happy, so why would they...? She buried her head against his shoulder, tightening her hold on him.

"You're crying!" he whispered into her ear, beginning to pull away. Lucy only tightened her hold on him even as the tears began to fall out of her eyes. "Why?"

Lucy shuddered, "I don't know Natsu. I'm not sad, but I'm not happy either."

His arms went up and his hand rested on her head. "Maybe you're relieved?" he offered. Lucy blinked. He knew what emotions other than happiness or sadness were?

She considered the question. It was possible— although she didn't feel what she normally felt when she was relieved. In fact, she felt kind of empty. "Maybe."

Natsu pulled away and Lucy let him go. He kept his hands on her elbows, his eyebrows furrowed together as his gaze went up and down. Lucy sucked her bottom lip in and held it there with her teeth. What was he looking for?

"I'm sorry I dragged you into this..."

Lucy stared at him. _Huh_? She didn't understand what he was apologizing for. "What?"

Natsu dropped his gaze and Lucy wondered what was so interesting about the ground. "If I hadn't brought you along... well, we've both changed."

Lucy's mind flashed to Yukino and she placed her hand on her keys. She sighed. "Baka," she said fondly. "I would've followed you anyway. We're a team, remember?" She smiled at him, and to her surprise, she found it was genuine. Natsu's head tilted, but there was still doubt in his eyes.

Lucy almost rolled her eyes. _Honestly_. "So what if we changed Natsu? We're still who we are, maybe a little worn down, but we're still the same people fundamentally."

He smirked at her, "Fundamentally?"

Her neck felt hot. "Shut up!" she snapped, but her lips twitched. Natsu looked like he was repressing the urge to laugh.

"Is that really all you can say, Luigi?" his eyes twinkled in mischievousness and Lucy gritted her teeth. Oh he was asking for it, wasn't he?

"Natsu..." she began, grinding her teeth. Natsu grinned, his k-nines showing. Lucy tried not to stare at them. Which was easier said than done—for some reason, she always had a fascination with them even when they were younger. And it only grew the older she got...

She liked them especially when he was fighting.

"Aw, Luce," Natsu reached out and bopped her nose. "I know you love me."

Lucy blinked. Wait, _what_? "What!" she squeaked, "How did you—wait, no, never mind. I don't even want to know." Knowing him, he probably thought she loved him as a sister or friend would...

Natsu looked like he was about to say something, but he stopped midway through the first syllable. Lucy stared at him in confusion. "Do you smell that, Lucy?" his head swung around, expression turning serious.

"No?" she offered. Her hand strayed toward her keys and she unhooked one from the ring.

Draco's.

Lucy gulped, she hadn't talked to the dragon spirit much, yet. Apparently though, she could call him according to Loke, even though they didn't have a contract technically.

Natsu shuffled around her so that they were standing back to back. "That stench... it smells rotten. Almost like de..." he trailed off, as if he was realizing something, then cursed. Lucy jumped, not because she hadn't heard him curse before, but because of how _angry_ he sounded.

"You recognize who it is?" she asked, peering into the trees were anyone could hide. Suddenly, she wished they weren't so out in the open.

"I very well hope you do, Natsu."

Lucy shuddered and she pressed against Natsu's back. She, she knew that voice... she had heard it once before on Tenroe Island. But she never expected to hear it again.

Natsu tensed, "Zeref."

"What are you doing here, Natsu? I thought you didn't know about Igneel."

"I didn't. Not until we got here."

"We? Ah, Miss Heartphilia. I wasn't aware you were here."

Lucy glowered into the forest, positive he was just taunting her. Sure he was trying to goad her into reacting. And she would have, if it had been a few months ago. But she wasn't that impulsive anymore...

"Leave her out of this."

"And why should I?"

Lucy began to zone out on the bickering between the two mages, and instead stared into the forest. Why did it look like the shadows were moving, creeping ever closer to her?

And then she saw them. The mages were forming a circle around her and Natsu, blocking them in while they were distracted with Zeref. Lucy swallowed the lump in her throat back.

"Natsu..." she hissed. He looked over his shoulder, forgetting about Zeref momentarily. "We have a problem."

He seemed to notice the circle around them and his eyes widened.

"How did I miss _that_?" he wondered, almost to himself. Lucy instinctively lowered herself into a defensive stance, holding Draco's key out in front of her.

Black light suddenly swished in front of them, searing a strand of her blond hair off. Lucy's eyes widened as she watched it fall to the ground, slowly, gracefully. Her jaw hung open, tears where in her eyes. And then she saw red.

Drawing in on herself, she stood taller, straightening her back holding her shoulders behind her head. Flames seemed to shoot from her eyes, like hot lava exploding. She held her fist up in the air and yelled:

"MY HAIR!"

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Natsu sweatdrop. She glowered at the people in front of her, who were steadily coming closer to her. She knew she wasn't a powerhouse like Erza, but she was very, _very_ angry at the moment.

"I'm going to take you all down!"

Some part of her mind protested again that sentence, the rational part. The other half, the one that sounded suspiciously like Natsu, cheered her on.

"Natsu, take care of Zeref."

She thought she heard a whimper come from him, and then a, "Yes sir."

Lucy held Draco's key out in front of her, then swung her arm out to the side. "Gate of the Celestial Dragon, I open thee! Draco!"

Ribbons of light, so many different colours, seemed to come out of the key, twisting and turning in the air. Lucy stared at it in slight awe, something like this had never happened before. A magic seal appeared in the air, turning blue and yellow, ever changing...

And then a dragon was flying above them, its massive bat-like wings beating in the air. The wind suddenly picked up and Lucy's hair went whipping across her face as the trees seemed to bend over. An unearthly melody seemed to howl through the air as the air became warmer by about five degrees.

" _Lucy_ ," the dragon—Draco—greeted, his voice echoing through her and into the very Earth. Lucy felt her jaw drop. " _Are these your enemy?_ "

Lucy managed a small nod, but Draco seemed to see it. Or perhaps he sensed it, because he suddenly swooped down to the ground, tucking his wings into his side. And then he was soaring up into the air, about ten mages in his claws.

Lucy glanced over her shoulder, only to see Natsu in the middle of a blazing inferno. That seemed to knock her out of her shock long enough for her the latch onto her fleur d'etoiles. She didn't dare open another gate—she had no idea how much power Draco was using up. Which, if she thought about it, was strange.

But then she let her whip fly out. It wrapped around one of the man's feet, and she yanked back, snapping her wrist. The whip flew and the body slammed into the tree, but Lucy didn't feel any remorse for what she had done. They were trying to kill her and Natsu. She could feel guilty all she wanted to later.

Thank goodness Happy wasn't with them. She didn't want him to be hurt, even if he could take care of himself.

And then everything changed.

Lucy wasn't sure how it happened, but one moment five, six mages were surrounding her, the next Draco had swept and scooped them up in his talons. Lucy drew her arm back and then flicked her wrist, letting her arm glide. She threw one of the mages into another tree as Draco scooped another five or six into his talons and flew into the air. Lucy could hear their screams.

And it went on like that, while Lucy took them out one by one (but quickly) Draco flew up into the air and dropped them onto the ground. It didn't take very long, but she could tell Natsu and Zeref were going full out. There was that sense of burnt bodies and death that clung to the air, the tension in it...

And then Draco swooped down, lifting his wings up into the air, but this time, bright golden light surrounded his form. Lucy shielded her eyes and turned away, just in time to see Natsu fly back about ten feet. There was a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach as she ran over to him, not minding Zeref or Draco. She thought she heard the sounds of fighting coming from behind her, but she was focused on Natsu, who was groaning. There was blood gushing out a wound on the side of his head and Lucy was worried for him.

"Natsu!" she hissed, ripping some of the fabric off her T-shirt. "You... baka!"

Natsu smiled at her, even if it resembled a grimace. "Ah, Luce... but you were the one to attack 'em first."

"Doesn't matter! You got hurt! You're an idiot!"

"I can't help it if I get hurt!" he flailed his arms around wildly, then cringed and wrapped his arm around his chest. Lucy nodded, taking in his pained expression. She bit her bottom lip and placed her hands just above his body. Natsu looked at her in confusion.

"It won't be as good as Wendy's but... I can borrow Virgo's magic and heal you."

"What?" his eyebrows furrowed together, "But I thought she was the tunnel lady."

Lucy almost smiled. "Yes, but she's also the maiden."

Suddenly, he reached out and clasped her wrist. "No, I'm alright. Draco must be using up a lot of your magic."

She frowned and stared at their hands. "Actually... I barely feel my magic reserve being depleted."

"Huh?'

Lucy shook her head and reached up again, gently removing her hand from his. "Never mind. At least let me bind your head for now. You're losing a lot of blood."

He let go of her hand, but shook his head. "No, we gotta help Draco."

She took a deep breath. He was going to be stupid, now, was he?

"No, Lucy. Hear me out." Lucy fell silent, not only at his serious tone, but because he actually called her by her real name. "We've got to help Draco. Zeref's power... I don't know. It's so strong now it almost scares me. We've got to help her before she gets hurt."

Lucy gawped at Natsu, "Her?"

He smirked briefly and pushed himself up gingerly. "Yup. And Luce," he paused and then flashed her a wide grin. "You ain't stoppin' me."

She sighed and stared at Natsu. On one hand, she didn't want her best friend to get hurt even more. She wanted to force him to stay still so that she could wrap her bandage around his head. But on the other hand, there was no way she could make him stay if he wanted to go... he was a lot stronger than her physically, and almost as stubborn mentally.

And they didn't have time to have a battle of wills.

"Fine," she gave in. He grinned at her and stood, offering a hand down toward her. She smiled but didn't take it—she didn't want to jostle his ribs. Once she was upright and on her own two feet, she realized he was taller than she was now. Lucy blinked. When had that happened?

She looked at him a little more carefully and noticed the little details she never really registered before. Like how his hair had grown out a little and was curling around his ears. How his face had angled out and lost the rest of the fat. How his smile had changed. But his eyes were still the same. That same dark charcoal colour, but still bright with life.

Lucy smiled and intertwined her fingers with his, positioning herself so that they were standing side by side but their left arms were ready to be raised and pointed at Zeref. With surprise, she noticed that a woman was fighting him. Her wings were spread out wide... *insert description of Draco here.* It must've been Draco.

She looked back at Natsu, who was watching her, clearly waiting for a command. She tilted her head back, "Unison Raid?" she asked. "I heard our magicks are compatible with each other's once from Levy."

Natsu grinned and she took that as a confirmation. She gently placed her hand on his shoulder while he placed his on her waist. They held their arms out in front of them and Lucy closed her eyes, summoning every last bit of magical energy within her. She opened her eyes and stared into Natsu's. He nodded, his face serious and Lucy smiled.

" _Open the gates, survey the heavens."_

The winds began pick up and a magic circle formed above and underneath them. In her mind's eye, Lucy could see Igneel and Happy flying toward something. Perhaps they had sensed the battle, finally.

" _Wings of a dragon, let them free." [Edit this line to rhyme with 'heavens'.]_

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Draco shoot a powerful blast of Celestial magic at Zeref before she sprinted toward the edge of the clearing. Good. She didn't want her spirit to be caught in the blast.

" _All evils must turn away,"_

A serene silence had fallen over the clearing. Lucy could clearly see the mages she and Draco had knocked out coming to.

" _To come into the light of day."_

And then the Earth seemed to hum with their power. Lucy felt herself being lifted into the air by an invisible force, but she wasn't alarmed. No.

" _Tiny stars may melt away,"_

Lucy smiled at Natsu and he returned it.

" _But they shall see no dying day."_

The wind howled in the background. Lucy thought she heard a sound remicent of the clanging of the Infinity Clock.

" _All for one and one for all_ ,"

She pressed herself closer to Natsu and he tightened her hold around her waist. She closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and, together, they finished the chant.

" _Which one of you will take the fall?_ "

Time seemed to stand still. The wind stopped howling. Lucy stopped breathing for a moment. It was as if the Earth itself had gone silent and was waiting, waiting for the storm to pass.

And then her eyelids snapped open.

Up overhead them, she heard the roar of a dragon—Igneel, perhaps? Zeref's eyes went wide and for a moment, Lucy wondered if they had done something wrong. Perhaps the incantation was wrong? Perhaps her and Natsu's powers weren't compatible?

But those fears were proven wrong.

Light, like a blazing inferno, leapt out of their fingers, sliding like a snake over toward Zeref with speeds that rivalled a train's. The dark mage ducked as it sailed over his head, but then it looped back around and went after him. Lucy suddenly realized it was yellow fire, or, at least, _resembled_ yellow fire. Perhaps it was fire mixed with yellow light?

Zeref sidestepped the Unison Raid, looking calm and rational. But one dark eyebrow had shot up, as if he was amused by the puny human's weak attempts to fight him.

But then his eyes widened, as if he was seeing something she couldn't, and his gaze locked onto Lucy's. She felt chills run up and down her spine, despite the fact that she was as close to Natsu as physically possible. There was something about that stare...

And then her knees felt weak, as if she was about to faint.

Lucy swallowed hard and looked up at Natsu, who seemed to sense her gaze because he looked down at her. She saw confusion in those dark depths, then worry, then realization, and finally... fear. He shifted his arms so that he was holding her, but Lucy felt so confused. Why was he scared?

Then his lips moved and she could read them. He was screaming her name, but why? And how come she couldn't hear him?

That was her last thought as the darkness that had been closing in on her vision consumed.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter Seven

She stood in the middle of a white clearing.

That was Lucy's only thought as she stared at her surroundings. All she could see was that weird whiteness. There were no shadows, only this white, vastness. It was almost light, but not quite. It was too pure to be light. If anything, Lucy would've thought she was blind. But that wasn't possible, unless using Unison Raid had rendered her incapable of using her sight. But then what about Natsu? Would she be able to hear him? ...unless she had lost the ability to hear as well. But then, what about feeling him?

Lucy took a deep breath and closed her eyes tight. To her relief, she could see that red in her eyelids, where the light wasn't able to get through. She opened her eyes again, holding her hands in front of her. With a sigh of relief, she realized she had all her keys at her hip. At least they were safe.

Now, she had to find Natsu.

She looked down at her feet, perhaps on instinct or some other feeling (a sixth sense?) and frowned. Why did it look like a gray fog was on the ground? Or... was she sinking?

She looked up again and nearly gasped. In front of her was a large door-even bigger than the ones her childhood home had. It was suspended in the air by seemingly nothing and they seemed to go on into the sky, higher and higher, never ending...

Lucy took a step closer to it, utterly captivated by it. She reached a hand out, as if to touch it. And she was planning on touching it.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you, Lucy."

Her breath caught in the back of her throat and she stopped dead. Lucy stared at the doors with wide eyes, wondering if they were talking with... _her_ voice. She dug her fingers into her palm, just to stop the tears from forming into her eyes and gritted her teeth together.

 _"Can you read me this?"_

 _A smile. A flash of blond hair. Her legs hanging over the side of her parent's bed, unable to touch the ground._

 _"_ _妈妈_ _!_ _妈妈_ _! (Mama! Mama!)Teach me how to summon the star people! Please!"_

 _Laughter._

And, suddenly, she wrapped her arms around herself.

"No, Lucy..." she whispered to herself and shook her head. "It's possible. Your mother is dead."

"And I'm sorry about that."

Something wet trailed down her cheek and Lucy brushed it away with her hand roughly. No. This was just a dream. Just a horribly wonderful dream and she would wake up from it in a few moments. Yes. All these months had been a dream-she would wake up in her bed back on Strawberry Street, and Natsu would be in her bed with her. She would kick him out of her bed and he and Happy (who had been sitting at the base of it) would look at her and grumble about how she was a weirdo. Then Lucy would tell them about this dream and they all would laugh about it and go to Fairy Tail for their next adventure, whether that be dodging flying tables or fighting monsters.

There was a hand on her shoulder suddenly, so warm and so solid. But Lucy had to shake it off. She spun around and there was her mother. Standing there. Right in front of her. Real. And solid.

Lucy's breath caught in her throat again and her eyes blurred. There was a door behind Layla, just like the former. But Lucy didn't care.

"What... mama? Is that really you?"

She smiled, and Lucy noticed that her hair was out of its customary bun and flowing down her shoulders. She was wearing a plain white dress too, that swept the 'floor' that was neither hot nor cold.

"It is, Lucy."

"But, you're dead."

"Oh yes." She replied matter-of-factly.

"Does this mean I am dead too?"

Lucy wrapped her arms around herself again. She didn't want to be dead, not really. Sure, she missed her parents, but she had all of Fairy Tail and she loved them. Levy with her book obsession, Gajeel with the way he sang horrible songs for her and called her nicknames. Erza and her love of cake. Wendy and the way she would smile at her and agree to help. Gray and his annoying stripping habit. Mira and her matchmaking attempts, Lisanna and her gentle reassurances, Elfman yelling 'man', Warren scaring the heck out of her with his telepathic messages. Even Juvia always mistaking her for being her rival in love. And little Asuka and Laki. She missed Lily, and Charle, and Happy, and Vakoo and Nab and... everyone.

And she couldn't even _begin_ to describe everything she loved about Natsu.

"No," Layla finally answered.

Lucy frowned. "But how? You're standing here in front of me."

"I don't know."

"Well then... where are we?"

Layla looked up and Lucy copied her motions. It was more of a bright mist, if anything. As if they were standing outside of the realm of time itself. And they probably were.

"We are in the flat between life and death, I suppose. We are everywhere and nowhere. We are time and yet we exist outside of time."

Lucy let her arms hang down by her sides as she frowned. "That's... confusing."

"It is, isn't it?" Layla laughed slightly.

They fell silent for what seemed to be a long time. Just standing there, looking at each other. No words needed to be said, at least, not for the moment.

"How am I here, then?" she finally asked. Layla tapped her finger against her lips, clearing thinking about the question hard.

"I believe when you and Natsu did that Unison Raid, you triggered one of your magic seals locking your magic. Zeref sensed this, and panicked. He inevertedly sent you here."

Lucy's eyebrows funnelled together. "Magic seals? And how do you know about Natsu?" She understood the last part of Layla's answer though. It made sense.

"You're far more powerful than you realize, Lucy." Layla said, looking at her solemnly. Lucy tilted her head a little, confused despite herself. "I don't think any of us know even a fathom of your true power, and we won't until you discover it within yourself."

"But I've always been so weak compared to the others..." Lucy looked down.

A hand tilted her head up and Layla smiled. Lucy wondered if Layla ever smiled this much back down on Earthland.

"You're not weak, Lucy. You are far from it. Your strength lies in strategy and cunning-your mind. You're not a powerhouse like Erza, or Gray, or Natsu. You're the support behind the group, like Wendy." Layla's smile suddenly changed, and a devious sparkle lit her eyes that reminded Lucy a little too much of Happy. "And I know about Natsu because I've watched over you. I have to say, you two do make a cute couple..."

Lucy managed a weak splutter of denial, but it even to her ears, it sounded half-hearted. Too much had happened between her and Natsu for them to be considered 'just friends' anymore. Her feelings for him ran too deep, and she was sure it was the same for him. She just knew somehow. But she didn't push him. She had waited for eight, almost nine, years now. Lucy could wait a little longer.

She sighed and bit her bottom lip, looking at her mother thoughtfully. "July 7, 777. You died and the dragons disappeared. That can't be a coincidence."

"No," Layla sighed and tapped her fingers against her upper arm. "It wasn't. Tell me Lucy, do you believe in fate? Or destiny?'

She tilted her head, "I'm open about it."

"Well, since the dawn of time, it has been, fated, if you will, for me to die on July seventh. For Igneel and the rest to disappear. It's been fated that Acnologia and Zeref will rise..." Layla chewed her bottom lip, as if she was debating about something to herself. "And, there's something else we can't see, Lucy. I don't know what it is. It's shrouded from our vision."

Lucy smiled at Layla and took a step closer. "It's alright, mum," she said. "We will deal with it when the time comes-Natsu taught me that sometimes, it's better to just worry about the present and the foreseeable."

Layla smiled sadly and brushed a hand through Lucy's hair. "How did you become so brave, Lucy? I remember the days when you were still scared of thunderstorms and hid under your father's desk."

Lucy grinned and showed her Fairy Tail's mark on her hand. "My friends give me courage."

She beamed. And Lucy remembered a very important question. "If I'm not dead, then can I go back to the land of the living?"

Her mother's beam softened into a smile. "It is all up to you, Lucy."

Lucy let out a sigh as she stared at the two imposing doors, towering over her small figure. But she already missed being alive. She missed Happy, and Natsu. And she wanted to get a chance at... whatever they had. She wanted to live.

She and Layla looked into each other's faces for a long moment. And then Layla stepped aside, clearing the way to the door behind her, where, somehow, Lucy knew that would lead her to life. She walked over to it, not exactly feeling. She didn't feel sad, but she didn't feel happy. She only felt, content?

Lucy suddenly spun around, and stared at the realm. There was nothing here, other than the doors, the eerie white mist and her mother. In fact, now that she thought about it, they reminded her of the doors to the Eclipse Project.

And, a single question popped into her mind, one that she knew she wouldn't be able to look up in a book.

"Tell me one last thing," Lucy said, and for some reason, she felt she didn't need to shout. "Is this real, or is this happening in my head?"

Layla beamed at her, and her voice sounded loud and strong in Lucy's ears even though the bright mist was descending, obscuring her figure and the doors.

"Of course this is happening in your head, Lucy, but why should that mean it is not real?"


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter Eight

Her head was on someone's lap, Lucy was sure of that. And it was warm-almost as hot as a furnest, but it wasn't uncomfortable. It almost felt like she was sinking into a tub of hot water on a tiring day, but nicer, somehow.

But, drops were falling down on her face for some reason. And there was a hand resting on her stomach. But it was shaking, like the person it belonged to was close to sobbing. Or perhaps he was. And Lucy still didn't open her eyes, despite the fact that whoever this person was, he (or she) clearly needed comfort. Something compelled her to pretend, if only for a few moments.

His hands shook, "Please, Luce... please... say something..."

And then she could hear. And she could recognize that voice, even if she had never heard such a degree of sorrow in it. Never _should_ have heard that amount sorrow in it. Natsu shouldn't be sad.

And then his murmuring became a little clearer, and, despite herself, Lucy found she was listening in on him.

"I can't lose you too... I've already lost too many... I swear, I'll never go into your bed ever again if you just wake up. I swear, I'll do everything you say if you just come back... please, I can't live with myself if I have to give up on you. Please... Please Lucy... come back... learning... crawl... say... up... I'm sorry I couldn't get to you... followed you... something... pride... love... _please_ , Lucy, please say something... I'm giving up on you."

His voice was becoming more faint, and Lucy felt herself going back to the realm of dreams. But she had to indicate she was alright... she had to...

She attempted to move her arm, even if it was just a twitch, but she wasn't sure if she had managed to do even that.

* * *

Lucy let out a groan as she peered out into a bright white mist, not unlike the one at those doors. But it looked more like bright sunlight to her for some reason.

She was laying on top of a bed. But it was soft, much softer than the ground she had grown accustomed to sleeping on... but the spread was white. It actually kind of reminded her of the infirmary at the guild...

She sat bolt upright, her loose hair flying over her shoulders in her surprise. No, it was impossible... she and Happy and Natsu had been fighting Zeref. They _couldn't_ be back at Fairy Tail. It was impossible.

A voice that sounded suspiciously like Natsu's echoed in the back of her mind: _ah, but Luce. Nothing's impossible._

"Lu-chan!"

Tears sprung into Lucy's eyes at the familiar voice. The familiar voice... she hadn't even heard for _months_. She knew...

"Levy-chan?" she whispered, surprised by how her voice shook. Levy let out a shaky laugh and the bed moved, as if she was sitting down next to her. Lucy frowned, how come she couldn't _see_ Levy? "Levy-chan, where are you?"

Levy didn't answer for a moment, but Lucy knew she had tensed. She could somehow feel it.

"Lu-chan, you're kidding right? You know I'm right here." Small hands took hers, warm, but not as warm as Natsu's. Lucy slowly shook her head.

"No... I'm really not. What's wrong with my eyes?" But a sinking feeling had begun in the pit of her stomach. She had heard about this kind of light in some of the romance novels she had read.

"I don't know..." Lucy could see Levy biting her bottom lip with her teeth. "I'll go ask Porlyusica." Lucy blinked, but the white light didn't go away. Porlyusica was here? "Oh, and Lu-chan?"

"Yes?"

"I'm glad you're back." Lucy could see Levy smiling in her mind's eye, with that tone of voice she used. So, she forced a smile on her face and nodded. Levy's soft footfalls (how come she never noticed how quiet they were before) went up and away. Lucy shivered and wrapped one arm around her legs.

"Natsu?" she called out, "Are you here?"

"Yeah, I'm here." Lucy jumped at how close the voice was to her ear. She hadn't realized it. The bed dipped, as if Natsu had sat down on it. "Sorry I fell asleep."

Lucy reached out and attempted to touch him, but she couldn't find his warmth. A warm, big hand wrapped around her small one and Lucy relaxed instantly as he moved it so that it was on his cheek.

"Don't be. You probably fell asleep only out of exhaustion, knowing you."

He didn't answer, which was as good as him agreeing, to her.

"Natsu..."

"Yeah?"

Lucy bit her bottom lip and relished in the fact she could feel the slight pain. At least she could still feel. "Why can't I see you?"

Natsu didn't answer for a moment. "I don't know."

"Lucy!" "Lucy!" "Lu-shee!"

Lucy yelped as something small and cuddly flew right into her chest, mostly out of surprise, then smiled as she realized who it was. She wrapped her free hand around Happy and pulled him close.

"Erza? Gray?" she asked, recognizing the two earlier voices. Even if she couldn't see them... they were probably standing by the door.

"Natsu!" Erza's voice barked. "Are you destroying Lucy's honor?"

"What? No!"

Lucy heard heavy stomps and the clanging of metal, like armor. And then Natsu's weight disappeared abruptly, like he had been punched. She thought heard him squeal.

"ERZAAAAA!"

She felt Happy snuggle deeper into her chest. "Hide me... I forgot how scary Erza can be. But she's not as scary as you when you're angry!"

Lucy wasn't sure if she was supposed to feel flattered or insulted.

"Yo, Lucy."

She smiled up at Gray's voice. "Hi, Gray. That is you, right?"

The air seemed to drop several degrees. "Man, I guess Levy wasn't kidding when she said you weren't able to see us..."

Lucy bit her bottom lip, then turned toward the sound of the commotion Erza and Natsu were making. "Natsu!" she shouted, and both stopped. Lucy felt a moment of awe that Erza had stopped defending her 'honor'. "What happened anyway?" she dropped her voice a little.

The bed dipped again and she felt heat emit from whoever it was. Natsu, probably. He was like her own personal heater. There was silence, except for their breathing and Gray and Erza's soft footfalls, as if they were walking closer to her.

And, finally,

"Zeref did come back after our Unison Raid... after you passed out. And so did the rest of his minions." Natsu's voice was quiet, but it was heard throughout the room. Lucy wrapped her arms around her legs, a chill surging through her veins.

"It was bad... Draco had to leave because we didn't know what happened to you." Lucy felt a stab of guilt. "Igneel and Happy and I... we tried to take them down but there were too many. Zeref overpowered me... the only reason I'm alive now is 'cause of Happy and Igneel."

"S'not your fault, Natsu." Happy spoke up for the first time, and Lucy realized he was sitting in her lap. Odd. "Zeref is an incredibly powerful dark mage."

Natsu made a frustrated sound, "But I'm _supposed_ to beat him."

Erza's armor clanked. "But not now, Natsu. Not yet. Eventually. And Happy is right-it isn't your fault."

He didn't answer. Lucy reached out, trying to find him but she found herself groping at the dark, literally. She bit her bottom lip to fight the tears back. She wanted to _see_ , dammit!

A warm hand suddenly wrapped around hers and intertwined their fingers. Lucy took a deep breath and squeezed it like a lifeline. In some ways, it was. She was more useless now than ever before.

"Zeref gave me an ultimatum: Fairy Tail or Igneel. He showed me the guild, where his followers were stationed behind it..." he shuddered and leaned back, his head resting against Lucy's shoulder and she sighed. "I didn't want any of you to die... and Luce and Happy were both in bad shapes... and Igneel said he could take care of himself so, I..." he broke off, as if he wasn't able to finish the sentence.

Lucy sniffled and ran her hand over her eyes, slightly surprised to find it was wet. She closed her eyes (not that it would do any good) and let her head fall on top of Natsu's. She couldn't even imagine what it had been like for him. He had just found Igneel after _years_ of searching, only for Igneel to be ripped away from him again.

It wasn't fair.

"We'll find Igneel again, right Natsu?" Happy's voice spoke up, sounding unusually timid. Natsu's head shifted, as if he was looking down at Happy.

"I don't know."

Lucy heard heavy clanks and a muffled protest come from Gray, and then a loud squeak, like a door being closed slowly and gently. She frowned. "Did Erza and Gray just leave?"

Natsu's head rubbed against her shoulder, and she took that as a nod. Plus, the two said mages hadn't said anything.

"Yeah. How did you know?"

"I heard the door squeak."

She thought he stiffened for half a second, before he relaxed. "Luce... I'm sorry I couldn't stop this. I should've gotten to you sooner. Decided to get you out of there. Did something about the Unison Raid or, _something_... you shouldn't be like this... you're supposed to be able to see! If anyone, I should be the one to have my sight gone! Not you! You don't deserve it!"

Lucy wrapped her arms around him, both of them and squeezed her eyes tight. She could feel the way her teeth clenched and her face scrunch up. She buried her head into his shoulder.

"B-Baka," she stuttered. "You don't know if this is permanent or not. Besides, you didn't deserve to leave Igneel right after you found him. So stop blaming yourself, or do you want me to blame myself for fainting and forcing you to choose between us?"

"But I choose between Fairy Tail and..."

"Natsu, we both know that isn't true. I was useless. I know I was."

Warm hands seized her face and the pads of his thumbs stroked her cheeks. She wondered where Happy went and why he wasn't teasing them.

"Don't you _ever_ say you're useless, Lucy." Lucy was startled by the fierceness in his tone. "Maybe you're not gifted in physically, but your strength lies here." He tapped her temple. "And I can't loose you. Losing Igneel again hurt, but losing you would be agonizing! I thought you were dead once already, I can't live that again!"

Lucy was sure she looked like an owl that just appeared in broad daylight. Did Natsu just say...?

"Are you saying what I think you're saying?"

She heard him laugh shakily as he rested his forehead against hers. "Let's beat Zeref, _and_ get your sight back. Then I'll tell you what I mean."

Lucy sniffled again and touched the side of his face. Then his hair and forehead, before she moved back down to his ears. Then she moved her hands under the curve of his eyes and over his nose. She let her thumbs glide over his cheeks and caressed them gently before she let her fingers lightly touch his lips. He drew in a sharp breath and Lucy paused for a moment, before she continued to stroke them.

"Just promise me one thing." Lucy finally said after a few moments. She knew she was being selfish, but she didn't care.

"Anything," was his swift reply. She smiled sadly.

"Please don't ever leave me."

He didn't hesitate when he answered. "Never."

 _The End_


End file.
